November 29, 2023
SVSU Moot Court Students Continue to Argue and Advance; 3rd Team Qualifies for National Tournament
The hard-working students in Saginaw Valley State University’s undergraduate moot court program continue to stand out and earn their way to national competition as they impress others with their legal arguments.
The team of Peyton Stemmerich, a psychology major from Clinton Township, and Ethan Rose, a political science major from Ypsilanti, reaped the rewards of their many hours of preparation to reach the final four of the regional moot court tournament in Wooster, Ohio Saturday, Nov. 18 and automatically qualify for the preliminary national tournament.
The SVSU moot court team will field 3 pairs of students among the 128 teams that qualify for the national competition, as Nikolas Baker, a political science major from Standish, and Diva Patel, a cell biology, molecular biology and biomedical sciences major from Kawkawlin, won the Capital City Classic moot court competition at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio the preceding weekend.
Political science majors Kennedy Kreger of Battle Creek and Jeffrey Ramsey of Greenwood will continue their arguments, as well, after finishing 17th in the nation this past January. At the regional, they were eliminated by Baker and Patel.
The six SVSU students will devote the next two months to additional preparation with their empowering head coaches: Amy Hendrickson, SVSU associate professor of law; Kevin Lorentz II, SVSU assistant professor of political science. Long-time advisor Julie Keil, SVSU professor of political science, continues to provide guidance and support, as well. The SVSU teams next compete at the University of Kentucky College of Law January 19-20. Eight of the 32 teams from that tournament will advance to the national finals at Texas Tech University School of Law February 9-10.
Participants in moot court act as attorneys in a simulated argument in front of the Supreme Court. Competitions are judged 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 American Moot Court Association national tournament nearly every year it has competed since the program’s inception in 2010. For more information about the American Moot Court Association, go to amcamootcourt.org.