USD School of Law Moot Court Team Takes Second Place at National Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition

SAN DIEGO, October 23, 2009 – University of San Diego (USD) School of Law Moot Court Team members Kristy Hewitt and Randy Freeman, edged out 24 other law schools from across the country to take second place at the 3rd annual Emory University School of Law Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition.  In addition, Freeman took home the Best Oralist award for the entire field of more than fifty competitors.  The USD School of Law Moot Court Team is currently ranked 36th in the country for the 2009 competition season.

“We could not be more pleased with the performance of our students at this prestigious—and challenging—national  moot court competition,” said Kris Panikowski, moot court advisor and full-time faculty member.  “Brief writing and oral advocacy skills play an equal role in a competitor’s success at this tournament.  We feel fortunate that Kristy and Randy were able to use the skills that they learned while studying at USD.” 

Students addressed two issues being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in oral arguments this term: 1) freedom of speech, specifically as it is affected by a federal statute prohibiting depictions of animal cruelty and 2) the use of expert witnesses testimony regarding the reliability of eyewitnesses or whether that determination is the sole realm of a jury.

The competition was judged by a group of esteemed judges, professors and legal practitioners including Judge Stanley F. Birch Jr. of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Leo M. Gordon of the U.S. Court of International Trade, Judge Richard J. Suarez of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Cynthia J. Becker of the DeKalb County Superior Court and Emory Law Professor Charles A. Shanor.

About the University of San Diego School of Law
The University of San Diego School of Law is a center of academic excellence focused on preparing its students for legal practice in the new century. One of the most selective law schools in the country, the School of Law's nationally recognized faculty create a demanding, yet welcoming environment that emphasizes individualized education. USD law school graduates consistently score higher than the state average on the California Bar Exam and go on to practice law throughout the country and abroad, forming an influential network of alumni. The USD School of Law is one of only 81 law schools in the country to have a chapter of the Order of the Coif, the most distinguished rank of American law schools. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, nonprofit, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.