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Rachel: Moot Court is a type of simulated legal debate, in which, each year we’re
given a case that involves two constitutional questions. We work in teams of two, in what
would be in front of the Supreme Court. Stephen: Being a part of the moot court team
allows you to analyze information quickly and critically, and also, more importantly,
communicate that information, in a way that is succinct, short, and easy for others to
understand. Stephen: Every week, students spend at least
ten hours a week practicing arguments, reviewing cases, and just going over facts of a case.
Mae: Usually, in a regional tournament, there are thirty to forty teams, from six to seven
schools, from around the country. Stephen: You expect to face three opponents
in a day, argue each side of the case once, and then, argue either petitioner or respondent
the third round based on a coin flip. You can always expect Wooster teams to advance
to the second day, and you just hope that you don’t face each other early enough so
that you have to knock each other out. Rachel: I think one of the keys to Wooster’s
success is the ability of our team to work together. So we have fifteen to sixteen teams
currently on the College of Wooster’s Moot Court Team. There’s really a spirit of unity.
You know, even though we have to compete against each other at times, people are always willing
to share arguments, to work together. Everyone wants the best for the College of Wooster,
and its Moot Court program. We want it to continue to be one of the best Moot Court
programs in the country. Stephen: I think the goals are as big or as
large as you set them for yourself. For me being a senior captain, and someone who’s
gone to nationals the previous two years here at Wooster, it was certainly an expectation
that I had, and my partner had. So, for us, we certainly felt pressure to make sure that
we set a good example for our teammates, and make sure that we didn’t let ourselves down
and really accomplish a goal of representing Wooster at a national level.
Mark: I’m not really surprised at our success, because we have smart, hard working students,
who can compete on a national basis, head to head with any school in the country. In
Moot Court, there are no divisions, so we go against the division one schools, and we
beat them.