On Tuesday November 14th, twenty schools participated in the Long Island Moot Court Competition. Fordham Law school prepared a case for the students, and each school was only allowed to have four students participate. The premise of the case was a student who sued his school for violation of his 1^st and 4^th amendment rights. In this scenario, the case had already been heard by the lower courts and was now on appeal to the Supreme Court of the USA. Juniors, Jovwan McNeil and Claire Hou argued on behalf of the appellant (the student), while Senior, Ariella Kissin and Junior, Ali Fraim argued for the Appellee (the school).

The students traveled to the Mineola Courthouse where they had to argue their case in front of three Long Island Judges. They had prepared statements followed by a 10 minute question and answer session with the judges. Here the students judged on their knowledge of the case, case law, public speaking skills, clarity of argument, and poise.

The experience proved to be a fun way to learn about the intricacies of the legal system and the workings of the courts. Regarding the event, Junior Jovawn McNeil said, “Not only did the competition help me improve my public speaking skills, it also gave me a real feel of what it is like to be a lawyer and what my future could be like.” Congratulations to all who participated.