USD School of Law Appellate Moot Court Board Hosts 28th Annual National Criminal Procedure Tournament

USD School of Law Appellate Moot Court Board Hosts 28th Annual National Criminal Procedure Tournament

San Diego (November 15, 2016) – This past weekend, the University of San Diego (USD) School of Law Appellate Moot Court Board hosted the 28th Annual National Criminal Procedure Tournament, held November 11-13.

The 2016 tournament focused on several criminal procedure issues raised in the fictional case of United States v. Larson. This year's problem specifically examined the constitutionality and application of an ordinance that allowed a police officer to conduct searches of individuals whom they reasonably believed were involved or engaging in human trafficking. After suspecting and arresting such an individual under these circumstances, the police officers continued to search his apartment and cell phone records after asking the arrested individual’s 16 year-old female companion for permission. The competitors argued two issues. The first was whether the search that was validly conducted according to the local ordinance violated the Fourth Amendment. The second issue was whether the 16 year-old companion was authorized to consent to the police officers’ search.

Overall Winners
1. Chelsea McHenry & Rebecca Neumann (SMU Dedman School of Law)
2. Ashley Carter & Irene Loizou (George Washington University School of Law)
3. Chane Buck & Daria Gossett (University of California Davis School of Law)
4. Emily Persinger & Erin Wallin (Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law)

Top Oralists
1. Howard Bailey (Florida State University College of Law)
2. Joshua Jacobs (Villanova University School of Law)
3. Dalton Mott (University of Kansas School of Law)
4. Eugene Tsvilik (Villanova University School of Law)
5. Adam Sherman (Pepperdine University School of Law)
6. Kimberly Gay (New York Law School)
7. Stephanie Trice (University of West Los Angeles)
8. Meredith Borschow (SMU Dedman School of Law)
9. Ana Perez-Dorrego (St. Thomas University School of Law)
10. Emily Persinger (Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law)

Top Respondent Briefs
1. Silvia Keller & Sarah Labelle (Concord Law School)
2. Ward Hoskins & Robert Lopez (University of San Francisco School of Law)
3. Chelsea McHenry & Rebecaa Neumann (SMU Dedman School of Law)
4. Chane Buck & Daria Gossett (University of California Davis School of Law)
5. Ryan Allein & Mason Smith (California Western School of Law)

Top Petitioner Briefs
1. Emily Persinger & Erin Wallin (Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law)
2. Ashley Carter & Irene Loizou (George Washington University School of Law)
3. Tania Dominguez & Jose Parra (McGeorge School of Law)
4. Jacob Burchfield & Lee Gilmer (University of Alabama School of Law)
5. Meredith Borschow & Ben Shreve (SMU Dedman School of Law)

Final Round Judges
1. Hon. Richard D. Huffman, Associate Justice, California Court of Appeal, 4th District
2. Hon. Jill L. Burkhardt, Magistrate Judge, United States District Court, Southern District of California
3. Hon. David J. Danielsen, '77 (JD), Supervising Criminal Judge, Superior Court of California, County of San Diego

About the University of San Diego School of Law

The University of San Diego (USD) School of Law is recognized for the excellence of its faculty, depth of its curriculum, and strength of its clinical programs. Each year, USD educates approximately 800 Juris Doctor and graduate law students from throughout the United States and around the world. The law school is best known for its offerings in the areas of business and corporate law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, public interest and taxation.

USD School of Law is one of the 84 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school’s faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations and currently ranks 35th nationally and 6th on the West Coast among U.S. law faculties in scholarly impact and 24th nationally and 6th on the West Coast in all-time faculty downloads on the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN). 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.