LU moot court teams rank high at the final tournament of the season

Cardinals received team and individual awards during the final regional moot court competition of the season at Texas A&M University Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. (Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was held via Zoom.)

Wesley Stapleton, a senior political science major and legal studies minor, ranked ninth best overall speaker.

LU’s team of Brendon Camp and Maissa Salibi went 2-1 in the preliminary rounds and were the 11th seeded team of all twenty-three teams in the tournament. Camp, a senior political science and criminal justice major and legal studies minor, and Salibi, a junior political science major and legal studies minor, defeated teams from Howard Payne University and University of North Texas in preliminary round competitions. Camp and Salibi advanced to the quarterfinal round of the tournament.

Additionally, LU’s team of Aaron Martinez and Wesley Stapleton were the 13th seeded team. Martinez, a senior, political science major and legal studies minor, and Stapleton also went 2-1 in the preliminary rounds and defeated teams from Texas A&M University and University of Incarnate Word. Martinez and Stapleton advanced to the octofinal round of the tournament.

Moot Court Competitions involve two student advocates arguing constitutional issues before a Mock Supreme Court. Students work together in their team to

construct their legal arguments and present these arguments to judges throughout the competition. Based on preliminary round showings, teams advance to elimination rounds. Students are evaluated on their knowledge of the facts and the case, the case law, presentation skills and court room demeanor. Based on their individual scores, student advocates also receive speaker awards.

“This has been a banner year for the Lamar University moot court program,” said Craig Tahaney, the Lamar University Moot Court director and political science instructor. “During the season, LU students won a total of six speaker awards and five team awards. The team of Katey McCall and Ali Hamza also secured a bid to the American Moot Court Association National tournament in January.”

This season LU’s moot court teams competed in one invitational tournament and two regional tournaments.