Anthony DeLucia, who graduates in December with the Class of 2018, earned Elon Law’s first ever “best oralist” moot court award at a competition hosted this fall by Regent University School of Law.
What happens when you’re “for” something before you’re “against” it, and you can argue both sides with poise and knowledge surpassing that of dozens of other law students?
You win “best oralist” in the 18th Annual Leroy R. Hassell Sr. National Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition hosted at Regent University School of Law.
Anthony DeLucia L’18, an Elon Law student preparing to graduate in December, concluded his moot court involvement this fall with top individual honors at a competition in Virginia Beach, Virginia, that required an understanding of case law involving prayer at government meetings. His honor represented the first time and Elon Law student has received the overall best oralist award at a moot court competition.
“It’s almost a validation that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Moot Court is what I put my heart and soul into. To come away with this award makes me feel it was all worth it,” said DeLucia, a native of Rochester, N.Y. “It’s nice to put a plaque in the law school’s trophy case. That way, when other law schools visit or prospective students come through on tours, they’ll say ‘wow.’ It deepens the prestige of our school.”
DeLucia and teammate Catherine Bryant L’18 competed against 20 other teams hailing from 14 other law schools across the United States, including Duke, Wake Forest, William & Mary and Richmond.
The fictional moot court problem centered on the constitutionality of prayer at a local town council. Though no one denomination was favored to the exclusion of other religions, and the control of prayer was determined through a lottery system, some faith leaders proselytized in a way that led residents who were non-believers to file suit against the town.
Complicating the fictional problem was the involvement of a town council member whose day job was teaching high school students. Students had been offered extra credit to attend council meetings.
“Anthony was the top oral advocate in the Elon Law Intramural Moot Court Competition in 2017, and I had the pleasure of coaching him in a national competition last spring, so I knew he had a natural talent for oral argument,” said Senior Associate Dean Alan Woodlief, director of the Moot Court Program. “It is exciting to see him take his experiences in Elon’s Moot Court Program, continue to grow as an advocate and to excel against top competitors from some of the other premier moot court programs around the country.”
DeLucia plans to take the New York Bar Exam following graduation and has interest in working as a criminal prosecutor. His ease and comfort in the courtroom were buttressed in a recent summer internship with the Commonwealth’s Attorney in Danville, Virginia, where he handled misdemeanor criminal cases including petty larcenies and drug possession.
DeLucia and classmate Charles Draeger L’18 won Elon Law’s intramural moot court competition in September 2017. DeLucia also found success at the 41st J. Braxton Craven, Jr. Memorial Competition hosted in January by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, advancing beyond the preliminaries with teammate Olivia Matte.
“I’m a creature of the courtroom,” joked DeLucia, a graduate of the University of Buffalo. “I just like arguing inside a courtroom.”
DeLucia’s recognition follows classmate Haley Mendola L’18’s springtime success at the Brooklyn Regional of the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition, where Mendola was recognized for being in the top 10 oral advocates at the program.
DeLucia is the son of Stephen and Christina DeLucia of Rochester, and is married to Elise DeLucia, also of Rochester. He is a graduate of Hilton High School.