Students reach semi-finals at top competition
The contemporary issue of “cyber bullying” and the extent of school authority over its students were the topics at one of the nation’s top constitutional law moot court competitions, recently held in Nashville, Tenn. The USC Law team of Dana Vessey ’11 and Megan Braziel ’11 argued their way into the semi-finals before being bested by the eventual winner, the College of William and Mary Law School team.
“We had a great time,” Vessey said. “It was a stressful couple of days, but we work together very well.”
It was the first time USC Law students had competed in the National First Amendment Moot Court Competition, sponsored by the First Amendment Center and Vanderbilt University Law School. Teams of student advocates from 34 law schools argued both sides of a hypothetical case in which a public school principal punished a student for a poem she wrote and posted online while off school grounds. The poem criticized the principal, allegedly targeted a fellow student with hurtful language and caused concern at school.
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| Dana Vessey & Megan Braziel |
“The first amendment is a topic you can get passionate about,” Braziel says. “It has an appeal beyond the legal community.”
Vessey enjoys the challenge the competition brings.
“Before you get up to argue, this unique feeling comes over you,” she says. “And, when you finish, you get a real sense of satisfaction that you don’t get when you write a brief.”
For the competition, Vessey and Braziel were required to write an appellate brief and to answer challenging questions from the judges. The competition requires a thorough understanding of First Amendment law, poise under pressure and expertise fielding complex legal questions.
For Braziel, moot court has been the best part of her law school experience.
“It has been a social and creative outlet for me,” says Braziel. “The ability to think on your feet is a skill that you can apply to any other forum. It gives a lot of students confidence to deal with any issue.”
Vessey and Braziel were partners when they competed at USC Law’s Hale Moot Court competition last year. The two are also members of the executive board, where they have worked with 2Ls preparing for this year’s competition. Both students praise the quality of USC Law’s legal writing and moot court programs.
Vessey and Braziel were impressed with the caliber of their competition in Nashville noting it was well organized and the judges were exceptional. They plan to encourage their fellow students participating in moot court this year to participate at the Vanderbilt competition next year.
-By Maria Iacobo
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