2023 National Moot Court Competition Final
Mercer University School of Law won the final round of the 73rd Annual National Moot Court Competition held February 2. The winning team was comprised of John Flowers, Zachary Mullinax and Stephen Greenway. Drake University Law School was the runner-up, with a team comprised of Elizabeth Boyer, Catherine Dukelow and Benjamin Wolf.
Best Brief honors went to University of Oklahoma College of Law, with Runner-Up Best Briefs awarded to Mercer University School of Law, Drake University School of Law, and Fordham University School of Law.
Best Oralist in the Final Round was John Flowers. Runner-Up Best Oralist in the Final Round was Zachary Mullinax.
The final round was judged by Susan Kohlmann, President, New York City Bar Association; Susan Harriman, President, American College of Trial Lawyers; Hon. Dennis Jacobs, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Hon. Diane Gujarati, United States District Court, E.D.N.Y.; Hon. Michael Wiles, United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D.N.Y. and Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Term, 1st Department (Ret).
The competitors in this year’s tournament were confronted with two issues:
- Does Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protect interactive computer service providers from liability where the actionable content is publish by artificial intelligence?
- Is a non-party with a financial interest in the dissemination of information eligible for protection under the common law doctrine, the reporter’s shield?
The final argument was the culmination of more than six months of preparation and arguments by 140 teams from over 105 law schools across the country. The top two teams from each of the 13 regional competitions advanced to the final rounds.
The Competition is co-sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and the National Moot Court Competition Committee of the New York City Bar Association, chaired by Alina Artunian. Photos are available on request.
