Harlan Institute-ConSource OT 2018 Virtual Supreme Court Semifinals
April 16, 2019
The Harlan Institute and ConSource have completed the semifinal rounds for the OT 2018 Virtual Supreme Court Competition. This year, we received a record-number of submissions on Timbs v. Indiana. On May 13, 2019, we will hold the championship round at the Georgetown Supreme Court Institute.
Curtis Herbert & Sana Wazwaz from Lighthouse School (MN) will represent the petitioner (from Match 1). Will Foster & Declan Davis from Walter Payton College Prep (IL) will represent the Respondent (from Match 2). Congratulations to all of the teams that participated.
Here are the oral arguments of the twelve teams that advanced.
Match 1
Petitioner Brief: Curtis Herbert & Sana Wazwaz - Lighthouse School (MN)
Respondent: Elena Lee & Sydney Von Arx - Lake Oswego HS (OR)
Match #2
Petitioners: Rachel Lee & Cammie Liu - Lake Oswego (OR)
Respondents: Will Foster & Declan Davis - Walter Payton College Prep (IL)
Match #3
Petitioners: Henry McGannon & Matthew Myers - Greenwich HS (CT)
Respondents: Lane Duckett & Lena Dyal - Lake Oswego (OR)
Match #4
Petitioners: Makaylia Askew & Joanna Boyer - Creekview HS (CT)
Respondents: Maya Clydesdale & Danielle Nead-Work - Lake Oswego (OR)
Match #5
Petitioner: Lucinda Smith & Anushka Nair - Lake Oswego HS (OR)
Respondent: Grace Cook & Emma Winter - Lake Oswego HS (OR)
Match #6
Petitioner: Max Franz & Larissa Chan- Lake Oswego HS (OR)
Respondent: Peter Di Re & Eric Snell - Lake Oswego HS (OR)
these students' impressive performance gives me faith for the future of the Republic. In less than five years, the Harlan Institute-ConSource Virtual Supreme Court grew from an idea Julie and I hatched to, what I hope, will remain as a venerable institution for many years to come. I am grateful for everyone involved, and can't wait to see how the tournament flourishes next year.”
Their coach, Aaron Hull, a model civic educator, shared how his students prepared for the competition: “Lucy prepared for the competition in the middle of AP Exams, and Arjun had graduated, moved on to Senior Internship, and could have mailed it in. Instead, both dug deep to develop Petitioners' argument at a substantive and nuanced level, attempting, as we often strive to find in our Republic, a balance between the safety of all of our citizens and excessive governmental entanglement in the religious beliefs of a sect of them. After we arrived in DC, settled in, had our dinner, and toured the monuments, they then continued to work into the night to deepen their understanding of the facts of the case. What a pair of citizen scholars.”
Arjun Ahuja said of the Virtual Supreme Court Competition: “There are few time periods in US history where it would be more important to be constitutionally literate than right now. I find the law and the legal field to be interesting so it's easy, but things like the Virtual Supreme Court keep the flame alive. I hope to continue with events like this to help advance the ideals that the Constitution represents.”
His teammate, Lucy Mini, added: “The Constitution is no where near as black and white as it may seem in a traditional classroom setting. Taking a stand on what those broad words mean, and then being battered by judges looking for any cracks in your argument, that is what the Founders intended when they wrote the Constitution, which is exactly what this competition provides for.”
Ilya Shapiro, one of this year’s judges, said of the competition: "Constitutional education is so important and it's heartening to see such a high level of constitutional facility from high schoolers. I would love to see this program become a standard part of social-science classes nationwide."
Julie Silverbrook, Executive Director of ConSource, said of the student competitors: “These students represent the very best of America. They are a testament to what can be achieved when thought leaders, public officials, schools, teachers, and parents invest in the civic education of our young people!”
Reflecting on how the competition has grown over the last five years, Harlan Institute President, Josh Blackman, shared: “The top two teams were absolutely amazing. They fielded difficult and probing questions from a panel of nine judges with poise and sophistication. Watching these students' impressive performance gives me faith for the future of the Republic. In less than five years, the Harlan Institute-ConSource Virtual Supreme Court grew from an idea Julie and I hatched to, what I hope, will remain as a venerable institution for many years to come. I am grateful for everyone involved, and can't wait to see how the tournament flourishes next year.”
Coach Aaron Hull expressed his appreciation for the Virtual Supreme Court Competition: “What [The Harlan Institute and ConSource] have achieved has motivated my students [by] placing a rigorous, demanding, achievable, and open-ended goal in front of [them] that will propel them to find their excellence, within themselves. Thank you for motivating and inspiring- its the core of education more broadly, and the key to inspiring the civic engagement our Constitutional Republic so desperately needs. My students will pay it forward, I can assure you.”
Gerrit Koepping, who coached second place finalists Jacklin Chang and Emma Austin, and has participated in the Virtual Supreme Court Competition for three years, added "This competition provides students with meaningful insight into how the courts work and how our constitution is interpreted. It is hard not to be inspired by the work and dedication of these students."
If you are interested in registering your students for next year’s competition, please email info@harlaninstitute.org or info@consource.org to get on the mailing list for next year’s competition, which will be announced in the fall.
Lucy Mini and Arjun Ahuja from Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut, will argue on behalf of the petitioners.
Jacklin Chang and Emma Austin from Lake Oswego High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon will argue on behalf of the respondents.
Julie Silverbrook, Executive Director of ConSource, said of the students: “They represent the very best of America. They are informed, engaged and passionate. If you’re available on the morning of May 18 to see these young students in action, you will undoubtedly walk away with a renewed faith in the future of the American republic!”
One of the winners of the 2016 Virtual Supreme Court Competition, Tanya Reyna, an exceptional young woman from an impoverished, high crime area in Texas, shared that her experience with the competition last year “eased [her] apprehension” about the future. She said that meeting students, lawyers, professors and judges willing to take time out of their busy schedules “to inform younger generations of citizens about our legal system,” demonstrated to her that “as long as there are citizens like them, America will continue to hold a bright future.”
Josh Blackman, President of the Harlan Institute, explained that the “phenomenal students and teachers involved in this tournament restore my faith in the future of our Republic.” He added that now the teams will have to “face a bench of nine Judges, just like at the actual Supreme Court”
If you are interested in attending the championship round to cheer on this year’s finalists, please email 