Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2014 - (Page 10)

Order THINKSTOCK IN THE COURT by Saina Yadlapalli (Princeton Moot Court, That Is) A s I stood arguing my case before the nine judges of the Supreme Court, I thought I detected a note of displeasure on the chief justice's face. I kept my voice steady. My partner and I were taking turns defending and qualifying the constitutionality of a provision set forth in the 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act that restricted the First Amendment rights of non-citizens. Throughout our presentation, the justices analyzed and questioned our every word. They wanted to know from which case precedent we derived our arguments and how previous rulings related to this case. When we'd finally finished presenting our argument, we took our seats in the courtroom. We had survived the final round of Princeton University Moot Court. Now we could sit back and watch our opponents fumble over their words and defend their position, just as we had done moments earlier. The Supreme Court of High School Students Moot Court is a simulation of an appeals court or Supreme Court hearing in which teams of two high school students acting as attorneys research and present arguments on a legal case to a judge or judges. In each case, the petitioner requests that the Supreme Court overturn a lower court ruling, while the respondent advocates for the court to sustain its previous verdict. Just as it is in the U.S. legal system, the challenge to the law is examined through the lens of one of three levels of judicial review, or scrutiny-determined largely by the nature of the law being challenged-to ultimately decide the case. [Editor's note: see sidebar.] As respondents in the Federal Election Campaign case, my partner and I had been charged with determining the most appropriate level of scrutiny that should be applied to the 10 imagine case and then showing how the provision met that scrutiny. If we failed to argue convincingly, the ruling could be overturned, and the other team would win. Baptism by Fire My first experience with Moot Court came in 10th grade after I decided to join my school's debate team. Members of the team participate in competitions such as the Harvard Forensics Tournament, Model UN, Mock Trial, and Moot Court. Since it was already March and late in the debate season when I joined, participating in Princeton's Moot Court tournament in April presented an opportunity to quickly become an active member. To get me started, my faculty advisor handed me a 100-page docket detailing the workings of Moot Court, the facts of the Jan/Feb 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2014

Big Picture
In My Own Words
Legal Discovery
Order in the Court
Think, Debate, Change the World
Voice of the Students
What Young Inventors Need to Know about Patents
A Practice and a Passion
The Science of Crime Detection
The Medical Examiner Is In
Selected Opportunities and Resources
Wild in the City
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2014