After two days of intense tutoring, Saturday’s preliminary round, and Monday's semi-finals, Wabash College’s Moot Court moves to its conclusion tonight at 7:30 in Salter Hall.
Interestingly a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior advanced from last night's semi-finals in Baxter Hall.
The are::
- Advocates: Stephen Rhodes ’07 and Matt Olivarez '08.
- Respondents: Jacob Straub ’06 and Charles Lopez ’05.
- 1st Alternate: Matt Bredefeld '05.
Wabash College is one of the few undergraduate schools in the nation to conduct an annual Moot Court competition for pre-law students.
Associate professor of speech and department chairman David Timmerman explained the Moot Court competition is one of the best examples of alumni involvement with current Wabash students. Wabash alumni, now attorneys, spend Thursday and Friday on campus tutoring the Moot Court participants.
Several alumni put the competition together by securing the judges and selecting the case. A real case is used but slightly re-written for the students to cultivate a balanced argument. This year’s case is about federal sentencing guidelines. Past cases have included affirmative action, public display of the Ten Commandments, and internet file sharing. Last year’s issue was secret government deportation hearings.
The judges for this year’s finals are: Hon. Theodore Boehm, Indiana Supreme Court; Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker, United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana; Judge Michael D. Keele (Wabash ’78), Marion Superior Court, Indianapolis; English Professor Warren Rosenberg, Wabash.
Matt Symons ’03 was last year’s winner. Johnny Warren ’02, now employed at Earlham College, won the competition his senior year.