On Saturday, February 7, 2009, Elon Law students participated in national moot court competitions at Regent and Charleston Law Schools, winning several awards.
Neil Oakley, Richard Webb, Annie Nastasi, and Blair Vocci took part in the the Regent competition, while Matt Covington, Sarah Neely, Nicole Patterson and David Klein participated at Charleston.
All of the students represented the law school very well, and several students won awards in the competitions. At Charleston, the team of Nicole Patterson and David Klein won the Best Brief award. At Regent, the team of Neil Oakley and Richard Webb also won the Best Brief award and were Finalists in the competition, finishing in Second Place after losing a very competitive final round.
In Charleston, fifteen teams from nine law schools across the country debated the constitutionality of an issue important today in South Carolina — whether the state should issue “I Believe” license plates that feature a cross. Late last year, a U.S. District Court thwarted a state statute that authorized the plates due to First Amendment considerations.
At Regent University, thirty law students from seven law schools participated, debating whether a high school’s use of a biology textbook that includes the theory of Intelligent Design violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.