Moot Court Competition Bylaws 2004

  1. COMPETITION COMMITTEE
    The officers of the competition will form the Competition Committee. The Committee will perform any and all duties as assigned by the Moot Court Board Constitution, these Bylaws, and the General Instructions of the Competition.
    1. DIRECTOR
      Responsible to the Moot Court Board for the planning, preparation, and conduct of the competition. The Director will enforce the regulations of the competition as set forth below. The 2003-2004 Directors are Maureen Milligan and Liz Boison.
    2. ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
      The Director shall have three assistants to aid in the planning, preparation, and conduct of the competition. These assistants will be responsible for individual tasks and projects assigned to them or undertaken by them. The 2003-2004 Assistant Directors are: Erin Munro, Josh Adrian and Mark Cohen.

  2. ELIGIBILITY OF COMPETITORS
    All high school students in good standing are eligible to compete in this competition.

  3. PREPARATION FOR THE COMPETITION
    1. PROBLEMS
      1. The problem for the National High School Moot Court Competition is based on one of the problems used in the Washington College of Law Spring 2004 Competition. The Problem has been edited and modified.
      2. Participants are not required, nor are they permitted, to research or prepare a brief.
      3. Participants may, if they choose, read any or all of the cases cited in the materials they receive. In addition, they may consult general treatises or other general reference materials.
      4. Participants MAY NOT read any actual court documents filed for the case upon which the problem is based, including, but not limited to, court decisions, pleadings, and briefs (participants are limited to reading ONLY those cases actually cited in the materials they receive).
      5. Violations of these standards may subject the participant to sanctions under Section V of these bylaws.

  4. JUDGING THE COMPETITION
    The following guidelines are a general statement of the judging procedures to be used in the 2004 National High School Competition. All judges are volunteers. Prior to each round of the competition, judges will be given information regarding the criteria to be used in evaluating participants. Moot Court Board Members may serve as judges in any round. Due to the large number of judges required, the Directors may alter or amend the following guidelines, as they deem appropriate.
    1. FIRST DAY OF COMPETITION
      1. Generally, these judges will be second and third year law students who have either competed in or judged past competitions. Preference will be given to those students with the most experience. The Director reserves final judgment as to the judges used in these rounds.
      2. Judges will not evaluate any competitor where reason exists which would make it difficult for that judge to be impartial or which, in the Director's sole discretion, would give the appearance of impropriety. Any violation of these standards may subject the judge to sanctions under Section V of these bylaws.
      3. No fewer than two (2) and no more than three (3) judges will sit and evaluate each oral argument in these first rounds.
      4. Spectators will be allowed to observe the first rounds of arguments, subject to the permission of all competitors and judges in the respective courtroom. The term "spectators" shall not be construed to include the Bailiff assigned to that courtroom or members of the Moot Court Board. (Competitors are prohibited from attending first round arguments other than those in their assigned courtroom).
    2. QUARTERFINAL ROUND
      1. Generally, judges for this round will consist of alumni and faculty of the Washington College of Law. Preference will be given to those who have past experience with moot court judging, with the Moot Court Board, or as a moot court competitor. The Directors reserve final judgment as to the judges used in this round.
      2. No fewer than two (2) judges and no more than four (4) judges will sit to evaluate the oral arguments presented during the quarterfinal round.
      3. Spectators will be allowed to observe the quarterfinal round arguments subject to the permission of all competitors and judges in the respective courtroom. The term "spectators" shall not be construed to include the Bailiff assigned to that courtroom or members of the Moot Court Board. (Quarterfinalists are prohibited from attending quarterfinal arguments other than those in their assigned courtroom).
    3. SEMIFINAL ROUND
      1. Generally, judges for this round will be alumni and members of the faculty at the Washington College of Law. The Director reserves final judgment as to the judges used in this round.
      2. No fewer than two (2) and no more than three (3) judges will sit to evaluate the oral arguments presented during the semifinal round.
      3. Spectators will be allowed to observe the semifinal round arguments subject to the permission of all competitors and judges in the respective courtroom. The term "spectators" shall not be construed to include the Bailiff assigned to that courtroom or members of the Moot Court Board. (Semifinalists are prohibited from attending semifinal arguments other than those in their assigned courtroom).
    4. FINAL ROUND
      1. Generally, the final round will be judged by sitting and/or retired judges from the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia or active members of the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia bars. The Directors reserve final judgment as to the judges used in this round.
      2. The final round will be held in the Ceremonial Court Room at the Washington College of Law.
      3. No fewer than three (3) judges and no more than four (4) judges will sit to evaluate the oral arguments presented during the final round.
      4. Spectators are encouraged to attend the final round. The Directors shall resolve any dispute involving spectators.

  5. CONDUCT OF THE COMPETITION
    1. GENERAL GUIDELINES
      1. All participants will conduct themselves in a professional manner throughout the competition.
      2. By accepting the competition packet, each participant shall be deemed responsible for strict adherence to ALL rules, bylaws, and prohibitions contained in any portion of the packet. Failure to comply with these provisions can result in expulsion from the Competition.
      3. Any complaint that arises during the course of this competition regarding any aspect of these bylaws, the general instructions, or any other material, or the actions of any competitor in connection with this competition must be filed with the Directors within 24 hours of the action that gives rise to the complaint, or first knowledge of the action. The complaint will then be referred to the Moot Court Board for a decision on how to proceed.
      4. After registering, teams must notify the Co-Directors by March 5, 2004 if any registered team member will not be able to attend. Teams that fail to meet this deadline will not be permitted to register for the 2005 tournament. (Exceptions made only for family emergencies or serious illness).
    2. ADVANCEMENT OF COMPETITORS BY ROUND
      At the end of every round, each competitor's final score shall be the average of all scores submitted by the judges for that round. (In the early rounds, directors, at their discretion, may determine that all competitor?s lowest scores for each round shall be dropped.) The scores are not cumulative through the rounds.
      1. First Day of Competition: Participants will be ranked against those arguing the same side of the case.
      2. Quarterfinal Round: Participants will be ranked against those arguing the same side of the case. Eight participants will advance to the semifinal round.
      3. Semifinal Round: Participants will be ranked against those arguing the same side of the case. Four participants will advance to the final round.

  6. AWARDS
    Four prizes will be awarded at a ceremony following the final round of competition. Other awards may be distributed at the discretion of the Directors.

  7. AMENDMENT
    These bylaws are subject to amendment by the Moot Court Board. The Directors may, when necessary, temporarily amend these Bylaws until the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Moot Court Board.