Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Justice faculty, held the last round of
mock trial arguments in his Justice 344 "Courts and Civil Liberties"
course on Monday, December 5. A moot court is a mock appellate court
proceeding which involves the
presentation of oral argument before a panel of judges. Students are
divided into teams and prepare arguments for hypothetical cases. Their
arguments are then presented before a panel of judges (including Prof.
Brandeis) composed of lawyer volunteers. All of the volunteer lawyers for this session were from the Alaska Public Defender Agency, Appeals Office: Kelly Taylor, Michael Schwaiger, and Tracey Wollenberg, Supervisor of the Appeals Office.
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| Front row l to r:: Shawdean Hutchison, Leonee May, volunteer lawyer Tracey Wollenberg, Heather MacAlpine, Kristen Crain Robinson, and Jasen Johansen. Back row l to r: Prof. Jason Brandeis, Spencer Raidme, Michael Batch, volunteer lawyer Kelly Taylor, volunteer lawyer Michael Schwaiger, and Coleman Alguire. |
The judges pose questions to the students and evaluate their
presentation. The hypothetical cases address such issues as alternative
criminal sentencing, the establishment clause (separation of church and
state), student free speech rights, second amendment right to bear arms,
privacy and technology issues, free speech and political protest, and
equal rights and protection from discrimination based on sexual
orientation.
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| Student Heather MacAlpine presents her oral argument. |
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| Student Michael Batch responds to a question from the panel. |
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| L to r: Volunteer lawyers Tracey Wollenberg and Kelly Taylor, Prof. Jason Brandeis, and volunteer lawyer Michael Schwaiger discuss the cases prior to the mock oral arguments. |
