 | Left to right: Judge Rosemary S. Pooler of the 2nd Circuit, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and Rosemary Barkett of the 11th Circuit heard law students' arguments in a case involving a defendant's relationship to a "foreign terrorist organization." |
The case was real and one of the judges was from the highest court in the land when Law School students took part in the finals of the Morris Tyler Moot Court of Appeals on May 7.
U.S. Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito '75 J.D. was one of three judges presiding over the pseudo-trial, held in the school's Levinson Auditorium. Joining Alito in judging the participants were U.S. Court of Appeals Judges Rosemary Barkett of the 11th Circuit and Rosemary S. Pooler of the 2nd Circuit.
Two panels of student "oralists" presented arguments for Rahmani v. United States, a real case that the High Court had previously declined to hear. The case addressed two questions: Whether the government may prosecute an individual for donating money to or soliciting donations for an organization designated as a "foreign terrorist organization" while prohibiting the defendant from challenging that designation; and whether the procedures governing the U.S. secretary of state's designation of an organization as a "foreign terrorist organization" is sufficient to protect the First Amendment rights of individuals prosecuted for donating money to or soliciting donations from that organization.
Arguing for the petitioner, Roya Rahmani, were Anna Manasco Dionne and Krishanti Vignarajah; representing the respondent, the United States of America, were Bryan Caforio and Jon Donenberg. All are members of the Law School's class of 2008.
The oralists each had 15 minutes to present their case and answer some tough questions from the judges. After hearing the arguments, the judges took a brief recess to deliberate, then returned to the "courtroom" with their decision.
"We could not be more impressed by the quality of the oral arguments heard this afternoon," Alito began, adding, "This is a very hard case."
For "minute differences in performances," he said, the judges awarded the Potter Stewart Prize for best overall argument to the petitioners, Dionne and Vignarajah. They declared the Thurman Arnold Prize for best oralist to be a tie between Dionne and Vignarajah.
Kristina Scurry, another member of the class of 2008, who attended the mock court competition, said, "I thought the judges asked good questions. And Justice Alito was just as I thought he'd be -- measured, thoughtful and patient, but also challenging."
T H I S
Top judges reach 'verdict' in
law students' moot court tria
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