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Sixth Annual
Williams Institute Moot Court Competition
The
Williams Institute Moot Court Competition Executive Board
and the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law &
Public Policy cordially invite you to participate in the
competition on January 30, 2010 at the UCLA
School of Law.
The Williams Institute Moot Court Competition is the only national competition dedicated exclusively to the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity law. The competition provides an opportunity for competitors to write an appellate brief on a current legal topic and to argue the case before a panel of judges. The competition is designed to promote and recognize the finest oral and written advocacy on a significant problem in sexual orientation and gender identity law. Competition History & Previous Winners In February 2009, 26 teams argued for and against the constitutionality of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Presiding Justice Carol W. Hunstein, Supreme Court of Georgia, Justice Virginia L. Linder, Supreme Court of Oregon, and Justice Patricio M. Serna, Supreme Court of New Mexico, presided over the final round of competition. Teams from NYU and Florida Coastal School of Law competed in the final round. Florida Coastal won the competition. In February 2008, 26 team competed against each other over the topic of gay-straight alliances in public schools. The Honorable Vice Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch, Arizona Supreme Court, the Honorable Justice James Graves, Mississippi Supreme Court, and the Honorable Jean Dubofsky, former Justice, Colorado Supreme Court, presided. Team 4 from UC Davis won the competition, along with the award for best oral argument. Team 15 from UCLA took home the award for best brief. In 2007, 22 teams from across the country briefed and argued the constitutionality of restrictions on same-sex couples adopting children. The Honorable Justices Susan Owens and Barbara Madsen from the Washington State Supreme Court presided over the Final Round along with Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Raymond Fisher. Teams from UConn and NYU faced off in the Final Round, and NYU won. In 2006, 17 teams dealt with the problem of same-sex marriage. Teams from UC Davis and Syracuse University advanced to the final round and argued in front of Steven Levinson of the Hawaii Supreme Court, J. Spencer Letts and Dean Pregerson both from the US District Court of the Central District of California. Syracuse University won the competition.
The inaugural one-day competition took place in February 2005
and involved 13 teams from 11 schools. The problem dealt with
same-sex marriage,
and 9th Circuit Judge Stephen Reinhardt presided over
the final round of competition. The team from
Chicago-Kent College of Law won the competition.
During the preliminary rounds, teams will have the
opportunity to argue both on brief and off brief, thus
guaranteeing each team a minimum of two rounds of
arguments. Scoring for the preliminary rounds will be
based on the written brief and both rounds of oral
arguments. The top eight teams will advance to the
quarterfinals and from there the top four teams will
move on to the semifinals with the two highest scoring
teams invited to compete in the final round. Scoring in
the quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds will be
based only on oral arguments. 2009-2010 Competition Calendar
Teams Each team may consist of two or three members. If a team has three members, all must argue in the competition but only two may argue in any given round. Prizes The winning team will receive a prize of $500. Prizes of $200 will also be given for the best brief and the best oral advocate. Registration is now closed. To register for the competition, please complete the registration form and return it along with a non-refundable registration fee of $300 (checks payable to “Williams Institute/UCLA Foundation”) to the address on the registration form. Your registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch, and closing reception for all student participants and their coaches on the day of the competition. Registration will open on October 15, 2009 and close on November 15, 2009. There is a limit of 24 teams for this competition and each school may enter one or two teams. If more than 24 teams register, one team from each school will be guaranteed a slot and the remaining slots will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis, so register early if your school plans on sending two teams!
Judicial Education Program Sample Score Sheets These sample score sheets are intended to provide guidance as to the scoring criteria for the written brief and oral rounds of competition. The Executive Board reserves the right to modify the score sheets. Brief Scoring Sheet & Oral Scoring Sheet Problem The 2009-2010 problem will be posted on November 26, 2009. Access information will be emailed to all registered teams. Accommodations We have compiled this list to assist you in arranging accommodations for the competition. The hotels are listed in order from closest to farthest from the UCLA campus. We have also included some services provided by each hotel. Make sure to mention UCLA when making your reservation as many of the hotels listed offer a discount for UCLA visitors. Please keep in mind that the listed prices are subject to change. We hope this list is useful - feel free to contact us if you have any questions about hotel location, neighborhoods, transportation or the like! Alternately, feel free to visit UCLA Website for listings of hotels in the area. Additional Information For additional information or questions regarding the competition please email: WilliamsMootCourt@law.ucla.edu We look forward to hearing from you and to your participation in our competition!
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