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2008-2009 Competition Results

The Twenty-Fourth Annual William E. McGee National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition was held at the University of Minnesota Law School March 5 -7, 2009. Thirty-seven teams from the following schools submitted briefs and argued orally this year's competition case, Holton v. City of Thomasville Sch. Dist., 490 F.3d 1257 (11th Cir. 2007), reh'g denied, 521 F.3d 1318 (11th Cir. 2008):

Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School
Brooklyn Law School
Campbell University School of Law
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Cornell University Law School
DePaul University College of Law
Hamline University School of Law
McGeorge School of Law
Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law
South Texas College of Law
Southern Illinois School of Law
Southern University Law Center
University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law
University of Arkansas School of Law, Leflar Law Center
University of Baltimore School of Law
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
University of Iowa College of Law
University of Michigan Law School
University of South Dakota School of Law
University of St. Thomas Law School
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin Law School
Valparaiso University School of Law
Washington University School of Law
West Virginia University College of Law
William Mitchell College of Law

The Holton case considered whether racial imbalances created by ability grouping in schools violate the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

This year's top honors went to Washington University in St. Louis School of Law Team 2. South Texas College of Law Team 2 achieved Second Place and won Best Brief honors. William Mitchell College of Law Team 1 was third. Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School was forth. Allison Lee of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law Team 2 won both Best Oral Advocate of the Preliminary Rounds and Best Oral Advocate Overall. Julia Riedel of Chicago-Kent College of Law Team 2 and Rob Creighton of Southern Illinois School of Law Team 2 achieved honorable mentions for Best Oral Advocate of the Preliminary Rounds.

Other teams that advanced to the Quarter-Finals included: Southern Illinois School of Law Team 2, Southern Illinois School of Law Team 1, Brooklyn Law School and Chicago – Kent College of Law Team 2.

Other teams that advanced to the Round of Sixteen included: University of Iowa College of Law, McGeorge School of Law, South Texas College of Law Team 1, Chicago – Kent College of Law Team 1, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law, University of Arkansas School of Law, Leflar Law Center, Campbell University School of Law Team 2 and University of Wisconsin Law School Team 2.

Over 170 attorneys and judges volunteered to judge the briefs and oral arguments. To express its appreciation for their service, the law school offered the continuing legal and judicial education program, Unequal Educational Outcomes: Is Achievement Tracking a Source or Perpetuator of Racial Segregation Within Schools on February 6, 2009.