Moot Court
The High School Appellate Program and Competition
Saturday, October
11, 2008 Contra Costa County Superior Court |
View the 2007 Moot Court Winning Teams
Moot Court is an appellate argument program and competition. This project has been developed by veteran teachers and Mock Trial coaches, Ron Leone and Carla Garrett, with the assistance of the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF).
The U.S. Supreme Court case, Morse vs Frederick (students' First Amendment rights) has been adapted for this program. Students will write briefs and argue them in an appellate court style. This may be done as a classroom and/or after school activity. You can link to the case materials, instructions, samples and rubrics below.
For those interested in taking it beyond the classroom, there is a one-day competition at the Contra Costa County Courthouse in Martinez on October 18, 2008. Teams of two to five students will present their oral arguments before three-judge courts made up of attorneys and judges The format will be similar to CRF's Mock Trial pretrial motion and the students’ presentations will be scored. Each team will have two chances to present--once per side. This will be followed by the semifinal and championship rounds, lunch and awards. The entry fee is $25 per participant, which includes snacks, pizza, and a T-Shirt. Schools may have more than one team.
Visit the Center for Economic and Civic Education Web site.
For more information, , or call (925) 947-4356.
