Twelve talented 3Ls made their case before a trio of celebrated jurists and hundreds of their peers last Wednesday evening as part of the annual Harvard Law School Ames Moot Court Competition.
The hypothetical case at bar turned on questions of constitutional and administrative law. The Patsy Takemoto Mink Memorial Team—Derek Choi, Kunal Dixit, Daniel Flesch, Phoebe Kotlikoff, Yusuke Tsuzuki, and Monica Wang—argued on behalf of the petitioners. Representing the respondents was the Judge Laurence H. Silberman Memorial Team: Max Alvarez, Eric Bush, Richard Dunn, Jessica Flores, Hayley Isenberg, and Brandon Sharp (all HLS ’24). Flesch, Wang, Isenberg, and Dunn stepped up to the podium as their teams’ designated oralists.
For both teams, Wednesday’s arguments capped countless hours of work researching their case, drafting briefs, and practicing oral arguments in the days and weeks leading up to the final.
“I’ll cherish the late nights we spent in the WCC debating ideas, refining our briefs, and preparing for oral arguments,” said Bush.
The presiding judges included Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Supreme Court, Associate Justice Goodwin Liu of the California Supreme Court, and U.S. District Court Judge Rachel Kovner (A.B. ’01) of the Eastern District of New York. It was Justice Sotomayor’s third time as an Ames Moot Court Judge, having presided over the final round of the competition in 2011 and again in 2018.
Following the arguments and a short deliberation, the judges returned to the bench to announce the winners: Dunn won best oralist, the Patsy Takemoto Mink Memorial Team was awarded best brief, and the Laurence H. Silberman Memorial Team won best overall team.
“Watching the skill of all of you, for me, is inspiring,” Justice Sotomayor told both teams after announcing the winners. “You keep me doing what I do. You have to understand that my work is not easy, and too often, in recent times, it’s difficult. And I need to have my spirits lifted, too, and you do that.”
“I would be so delighted to see any of you argue in my court,” added Justice Liu. “You have really set a very, very high bar.”
The Ames Moot Court Competition, first established in 1911 and now administered by the Board of Student Advisers, is one of the country’s most prestigious competitions for appellate brief writing and advocacy. The competition takes place in three rounds, beginning in the fall of the competitors’ 2L year and drawing entries from dozens of hopeful teams. Just two teams survive the intense Qualifying and Semifinal Rounds, advancing to the Final Round as 3Ls.
Past Ames winners include former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun (A.B. ’29, L.L.B. ’32), HLS Professor Cass Sunstein (A.B. ’75, J.D. ’78), and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (A.B. ’95, J.D. ’99).
The competition is always stiff, but especially so this year: a record 54 teams submitted briefs in the qualifying round, or “QRound.”
“I think that the competition is meant to inspire the entire HLS community,” said Rachel Chiu (HLS ’24), this year’s Vice President of the Ames Program. “The competition is a special tradition that the BSA is incredibly proud to administer—it has been the most meaningful undertaking that I have contributed to in my time at HLS.”
Chiu also thanked the co-chairs of the Upper-Level Ames Committee, Alex Stebbins (HLS ’24) and William Trettin (HLS ’24), and Kristen Conklin in the Dean of Students Office for their hard work behind the scenes.
Students entered a lottery last week to obtain admission into the Ames Courtroom to watch the arguments in person (and see a Supreme Court Justice in real life). The Dean of Students Office also streamed the event live in the first-floor classrooms in Austin Hall for those who weren’t lucky enough to get a ticket.
“As a 1L, it was definitely inspiring to watch older students argue and debate with the judges and with Justice Sotomayor,” said Annabelle Hutchinson (HLS ’26), who attended the livestream. “I definitely feel inspired to try it myself, potentially, and I’m excited for the spring Ames for the 1Ls.”
“I thought that all the oralists had really great pace and really great managing of the back-and-forth with the justices,” said Sahra Phillips (HLS ’24). “Really impressive overall.”
“I just wanted to come out before I leave campus,” said Abigail Hall (HLS ’24), a 3L who came to see the competition for the first time. Hall agreed the arguments were “super cool” to watch.
The event was followed by a reception in the HLS Pub, where students and faculty gathered to celebrate the competitors.
“Law school is generally an individual ‘sport,’ given how most of our classes are graded,” said Sharp. “Ames is a great opportunity while in law school to work together just as we will during most of our careers. I am lucky to have had the chance to be on a great team comprised of some of my best friends.”
At press time, the members of the Patsy Takemoto Mink Memorial Team could not be reached for comment.