Evans Moot Court

The Evan A. Evans Constitutional Law Competition was established at the University of Wisconsin Law School as a tribute to Judge Evan A. Evans, an 1899 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1916 to 1948.

The three-day competition is open to all ABA-accredited law schools throughout the U.S. and focuses on a question of Constitutional law. The UW Law School Moot Court Board does not compete in the program, but runs the competition.

2011 Competition

The 17th annual Evan A. Evans Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition will be held on March 25-27 in Madison.

This year's problem focuses on two Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause issues stemming from Crawford v. Washington and Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts. The case involves a university professor who was arrested for felony marijuana possession while attending a campus peace rally. The defendant has claimed that the admission of two particular pieces of evidence violated his Sixth Amendment rights.

Why Get Involved in Moot Court?

Like other moot court events, the Evans Competition is a mock appellate advocacy experience that helps law students develop strong writing and oral advocacy skills, the ability to function well under pressure, and the self-confidence necessary to be successful advocates for their clients.

The competition features panels composed of experienced trial attorneys and judges from state and federal courts.

"Because effective oral advocacy is becoming a lost art, it is encouraging to see and hear it done well and rewarding to assist in the process of preserving it," says Judge Michael Rosborough, who has helped judge the competition for the last few years.

Learn More

If you have questions or your school would like to participate in future Evans Moot Court competitions, please contact Competition Director Carly Zuba or Problem Writer Elizabeth Reeths at evanscompetition@gmail.com.

Submitted by UW Law News on March 3, 2011

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