The Civil Rights Moot Court focuses on topical and timely developments in civil rights law. Past years’ briefs have involved issues of racial profiling in a department store, college affirmative action plans, whether the Defense of Marriage Act was constitutional, and whether a corporation has constitutional rights to freely exercise religion. Students research in the area of civil rights law, improve writing skills, and receive extensive training and practice in oral advocacy.
Sixteen 2Ls and four 3Ls (four Student Directors) make up the Civil Rights Moot Court. The 2L participants research and write their briefs in their first semester of the second year. There is extensive focus on orals training and argument in the spring semester. All work usually is completed before late March.
Four students are typically selected in the spring as Student Directors and competition team members for the following year. The competition team goes to a civil-rights related tournament in the spring semester, (currently the McGee Civil Rights tournament).