All Rise! An Appeal for Moot Court Judges

The ABA Law Student Division would like to invite you to judge the National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) in Brooklyn on February 22-24, 2024, at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Register Here

You be the judge, literally!
Spend a few hours as a Supreme Court Justice without the confirmation hearings! All rounds take place in a courtroom and robes are provided for all competition judges.

Give back and mentor law students
This opportunity will fulfill your need to impart wisdom onto the next generation of lawyers. We are looking for lawyers and judges to sit on the Supreme Court to hear oral arguments and provide feedback on the advocacy skills of each team.

CLE Information
Attorneys acting as judges in moot court competitions may self-report their participation to claim CLE credit. Rules, calculations, and limits vary by state.

Make a day of it. Sign up for one, two, or more rounds. Or invite your colleagues and register as a group. Register Here

The rounds are scheduled as follows:
Round 1: Thursday, February 22 (3:30 pm-7:45 pm)
Round 2: Friday, February 23 (3:30 pm-7:45 pm)
Round 3: Saturday, February 24 (8:30 am-12:45 pm)
Round 4: Saturday, February 24 (1:00 pm-3:30 pm)
Round 5: Saturday, February 24 (3:30 pm-6:00 pm)

For your colleagues across the country, there are also regionals in Boston, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco!

Direct any questions to:

Erica M. Zepeda
American Bar Association
Program Manager, Early Career Strategy
Law Student Division
321 N. Clark, Chicago, IL  60654
T: 312.988.5671
[email protected]

Judges Needed for Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition

If you are an attorney attending the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Convention in Chicago this year, we request that you volunteer to serve as a judge in the preliminary and/or quarterfinal rounds of the 2018 Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition (Competition).  The Competition is an appellate advocacy competition sponsored annually by the NAPABA Law Foundation, an IRC § 501( c )(3) non-profit, charitable and educational affiliate of NAPABA.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Competition!  The Competition honors the late Judge Thomas Tang, a champion of individual rights, an advocate for the advancement of minority attorneys, and an ardent supporter of NAPABA.  Judge Tang served on the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1977 until his passing in 1995. To learn more about the competition, click here.

This year’s problem addresses the following issues:

  1. Whether a state university may impose disciplinary sanctions on a student for non-curricular expressive conduct otherwise protected by the First Amendment in order to protect the expressive rights of other.
  2. Whether a state university may expel a law student based on university officials’ determination that her off-campus expressive activity, otherwise protected by the First Amendment, violates the professionalism standards governing attorneys.

The information for the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds is as follows:
Date:  Friday, November 9, 2018
Time:  Preliminary Round One (9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.), Preliminary Round Two (11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.), and Quarterfinal Round (2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Place:  Sheraton Grand Chicago (301 E. North Water St., Chicago, IL 60611)

Please register online at https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/dicpm to judge one or both of the preliminary rounds and/or the quarterfinal round.  Although the sign-up sheet is getting full, please consider signing up to be an alternate in the event someone needs to make a last minute cancellation. Once you register, you will be emailed the problem, the bench brief, the rules and the oral argument scoring sheets.  Please report to the Tennessee meeting room located on the second level at least 20 minutes before your scheduled round to obtain your room assignment.  We ask that alternates also report to the Tennessee meeting room 20 minutes before your scheduled room to determine if your services are needed for the Competition.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Linda Tran ([email protected]) or Leah Gould ([email protected]).

Volunteer for Thomas Tang Northeast Regional Moot Court Competition

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation presents its 2018 Thomas Tang Northeast Regional Moot Court Competition, and is in need of volunteers. This competition provides a unique and memorable experience for student appellate advocates. The event allows law students to showcase their writing and oral advocacy skills, and also to compete for scholarships totaling $10,000. In summary, this year’s problem is on whether a state university has the right to impose disciplinary sanctions on a student for non-curricular expressive conduct, and if it may expel a law student for off-campus expressive activity. For more information on this year’s problem, click here

The event will be held on Friday, October 19, 2018, from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. at the United States Court of International Trade, One Federal Plaza, New York, New York. NAPABA seeks volunteers for grading briefs and for day-of. Brief graders will review and score briefs submitted by the student teams before the competition, and the time commitment is flexible. Day-of volunteers are welcome to assist for either part of the event or the entire day, and will serve as bailiffs or judges for the oral argument rounds. For a complete schedule of the day’s events, click here. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Zoe Wong, the Northeast Regional Coordinator, at T[email protected]. For more information, please visit NAPABA’s website here

Thomas Tang Moot Court – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Thomas Tang Moot Court – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Judges Needed for the Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition, NAPABA Convention 2014

JUDGES NEEDED
We need members of the bench and bar to serve as oral argument judges for the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds of the Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition*, on Friday November 7th during the NAPABA Convention.  The preliminary rounds are from 9:15 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. and the quarterfinal round is from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  at the convention hotel, Westin Kierland Resort.  You can judge one or both rounds.  
 
If you can serve as a judge,  please sign up online (http://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/tzsao) or contact, Hemanth Digumarthi, [email protected].
 
Time                    (1) Two Preliminary Rounds, Friday, November 7, 2014.   The preliminary rounds are from9:15 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. and the quarterfinal round is from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
Material Provided:       Volunteer judges will be provided a bench brief that includes legal analysis of the issues and suggested questions to ask the student competitors.
Sign-Up Link:      If you can serve as a judge, sign up online (http://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/tzsao)
Legal Issues:
This year’s problem poses the following questions:
I.            Whether appropriate evidentiary standards were applied in finding Petitioner ineligible for cancellation of removal under the Immigration and National Act.
          A.    Whether evidence beyond the record of conviction may be considered in determining removability under 8 U.S.C. §1227(a)(2)(A)(ii) for crimes involving moral turpitude.
        B.     Whether an inconclusive record of conviction is sufficient to meet a noncitizen’s burden of proving eligibility for cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. §1229b(b)(1).
II. Whether a conviction for using a false social security number with intent to deceive, but for otherwise lawful purposes, constitutes a crime involving moral turpitude under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
  • Whether the holding of Jordan v. De George, 341 U.S. 223 (1951), declining to find the phrase “crimes involving moral turpitude” void for vagueness when applied to fraud, extends to conduct involving intent to deceive.
        B.    Whether a violation of 42 U.S.C. §408(a)(7)(B) for use of another person’s social security number constitutes a crime involving moral turpitude under 8 U.S.C. §1227(a)(2)(A)(ii).
 
Point of Contact:
Hemanth Digumarthi
Phone: 404-788-6398 (cell)
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*The Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition is an appellate advocacy competition sponsored annually by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation (NAPABA Law Foundation), an IRC § 501©(3) non-profit, charitable and educational affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). The NAPABA Law Foundation works closely with the National Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (NAPALSA) and its local affiliates at law schools across the country. The purpose of this Competition is to develop advocacy skills without regard to the merit of the petitioner’s or respondent’s cases. 
 
The Competition was founded in 1993 and is named in honor of the late Honorable Thomas Tang, a respected jurist who was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1977. Judge Tang’s decisions during his more than eighteen years on the Ninth Circuit reflected his strong commitment to civil rights for all people. Judge Tang was known for his kindness and warmth, and the leadership role he played in the Asian Pacific American legal community. Prior to his passing in 1995, Judge Tang provided tremendous support to NAPABA and its activities, including the creation of this national moot court competition. 

2014 Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition

2014 Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition

St. John’s Law Team Achieves at Thomas Tang National Moot Court Competition

St. John’s Law Team Achieves at Thomas Tang National Moot Court Competition

Thomas Tang Moot Court Judges Needed for NAPABA Convention

We need your help to serve as judges for the Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition on Friday, November 8, 2013, during the NAPABA Convention in Kansas City, MO.  The rounds will take place from 9:15 to 10:15 and 10:30 to 11:30 at the Convention Hotel, Kansas City Marriott Downtown.  

Please sign up to judge either one or both of the preliminary rounds via Wejoinin.   (http://wejoinin.com/sheets/usknvhttp://wejoinin.com/sheets/usknv).  

This year’s problem addresses the following issues:

I.  Whether § 66.04 of the Apalsa Revised Statutes (“ARS”) precluding a public defender from withdrawing on the basis of excessive workload or lack of resource violates the right to effective assistance of counsel guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

 A.  Whether ARS § 66.04 is facially unconstitutional.     

 B.  Whether ARS § 66.04 is unconstitutional as applied in this case.

 II.  Whether the sanctions imposed on Appellant by the Professional Ethics Board of the State Bar of Apalsa violated her rights under the Constitution of the United States.

A.  Whether the sanctions imposed for refusing to comply with a court order to represent a criminal defendant violate the Fifth Amendment right to due process.

B.  Whether the sanctions imposed for Appellant’s public statement regarding her refusal to comply with a court order to represent a criminal defendant violate the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of expression.