Maryland High School Students Win 2015 ConSource-Harlan Institute Virtual Supreme Court Competition
High School Students Argue Case of Zivotofsky v. John Kerry, Secretary of State
WASHINGTON, DC — Building on the success of the 2013 and 2014 Virtual Supreme Court project, the Harlan Institute and The Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) hosted the third annual Virtual Supreme Court competition. This competition offers teams of two high school students the opportunity to research cutting-edge constitutional law, write persuasive appellate briefs, argue against other students through video chats, and try to persuade a panel of esteemed attorneys during oral argument that their side is correct. This year the competition focused on Zivotofsky v. Kerry.
Students from around the country submitted appellate briefs and participated in virtual oral argument aimed at addressing the constitutional question –  Is the President’s recognition power subject to control by the Congress?
In the championship round of oral argument, petitioners were represented by David Edimo and Nick Peang-Meth from Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, MD, and petitioners were represented by Ammas Tanveer and Max Groznik from Lake Oswego High School in Oswego, Oregon. The competition was fierce, but the petitioners David and Nick prevailed, becoming the Solicitors General of FantasySCOTUS. David and Nick, along with their teacher, will travel to Washington, DC to participate in ConSource’s Seventh Annual Constitution Day Celebration in September 2015.
You can view the championship round of oral argument here: https://youtu.be/VIh7mqrFlbU

All of the students and teachers who participated in the program should be applauded for their hard work and dedication. The teachers at Richard Montgomery High School and Mr. Gerrit Koepping of Lake Oswego High School should be saluted for going above and beyond to prepare their students for the competition. We also commend the finalist teams from Frisco CTE Center (TX), Del Valle High School (TX), Wicomico High School (MD), and Elkins HS (WV) for their excellent efforts. Please join us in congratulating the participants and their wonderful teachers.

Information about the Harlan Institute-ConSource Virtual Supreme Court Competition is available at: http://harlaninstitute.org/contests/virtual-supreme-court/.
For questions or further information, please contact Josh Blackman, President of The Harlan Institute, at JBlackman@HarlanInstitute.org or Julie Silverbrook, Executive Director of ConSource, at Julie.Silverbrook@ConSource.org.