November 18, 2022

SVSU moot court team qualifies for national competition

By Walker Wenzel

Saginaw Valley State University students demonstrated hard work and tenacity, and distinguished themselves in moot court competition, carrying on a tradition of excellence. Four members of SVSU’s moot court team competed at the Capital University Law School Classic, a regional tournament, in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 12 and 13; two students earned a spot at the American Moot Court Association’s national tournament in January.

In their first-ever face-to-face tournament, Ethan Rose, a political science major from Ypsilanti, and Abigail (Abi) Walk, a management major from Saginaw, finished in third place in the competition, while the team of political science majors Kennedy Kreger, of Battle Creek, and Jeffrey Ramsey, of Greenwood, placed fourth. These strong finishes qualified Walk and Rose for the national competition and put Ramsey and Kreger in a good position to qualify at upcoming regional competitions.

Julie Keil, associate professor of political science, and Amy Hendrickson, associate professor of law, serve as co-advisers for SVSU’s moot court program. Keil says the students earned this accomplishment through extraordinary determination.

“Dr. Amy Hendrickson and I are extremely proud of this achievement but more importantly we are proud of the hard work all students put in to be this successful,” said Keil. “Both teams have worked far beyond class times with invitational scrimmages against other schools, home practices with the coaches and long hours of study room time with the four students. They also have provided a great deal of leadership and maturity we need to help the other eleven teams we have this year be as successful as they are able. They exemplify the characteristics we hope for and look for in all SVSU students.”

Participants in moot court act as attorneys in a simulated legal trial. Competitions are judged based on the quality and clarity of the students’ arguments, their public speaking skills and knowledge of the law and the case.

SVSU’s moot court program has qualified for the national tournament nearly every year it has competed since the program’s inception in 2010. In 2020, SVSU’s moot court was ranked No. 16 in the nation. Around 120 colleges and universities field undergraduate moot court programs, and in all, some 500 moot court teams will compete in 2022, representing those schools. 

The Capital University tournament was the first face-to-face tournament SVSU’s team attended in three years.

Keil said 10 other moot court teams will represent SVSU in two more tournaments, including a regional tournament hosted by SVSU on Dec. 2 and 3.

For more information about the American Moot Court Association, go to amcamootcourt.org.