Photo courtesy of MSU Law
For three MSU Law students, the Seigenthaler-Sutherland Cup First Amendment Moot Court Competition was full of firsts. Oralists Kelsey Harrington, ’22, and Nikolas (Niko) Spilson, ’23, with briefwriter Haley Regan, ’22, brought home the championship title on March 19.
Being the first in-person competition for all three team members after multiple seasons of virtual programming – as well as the first-ever competition for Spilson – the team enjoyed the opportunity to gather in Washington D.C. alongside 27 other teams and their coach, Professor Jennifer Copland, director of the Competitions Program at MSU Law.
“No competitors across the country, even 3Ls, have done an in-person competition, so it felt like an even playing field, but it was definitely nerve-wrecking to not have the comfort of my computer screen,” Harrington explained. “It added a challenging element, but it was a lot of fun.”
This was the first time that an MSU team has ever advanced to the finals at this competition. Harrington and Spilson argued against competitors from Florida State, the previous year’s champions. The final round’s coin toss resulted in the team arguing the side they had the least experience with up to that point of the competition.
“We had been respondents all day,” Harrington said. “We hadn’t even practiced the petitioner side, and we had about five minutes to collect ourselves before Niko had to be the first person to speak in front of the final panel of judges.”
The two oralists shared their support for one another’s showcase in that final round. “She did a really fantastic job of rolling with the punches and answering everything that was thrown at her,” Spilson said, describing Harrington’s performance. “The judges were very impressed.”
The competition’s problem tackled a First Amendment issue, with factors including social media and religion. “It was pretty lopsided. Usually, they try to make the problem so there are two issues, and one side fits each side to even it out,” Regan explained. “I will say that I feel like even though petitioner was harder, it kind of gives you an advantage almost. Kelsey and Niko are such good oralists to be able to handle what is clearly a one-sided argument and then the questions – if you can do that well, I think the judges respect you even more.”
For Harrington and Regan, their first in-person Moot Court competition in law school is also their last as they move towards graduation this spring.
“As someone who’s about to graduate, a lot of my imposter syndrome subsided – it’s not gone. Actually arguing in front of a panel of judges, I feel a lot more confident in my skillset and my ability to understand complex legal issues and answer nuanced questions in a way that is both accurate and you’re not trying to stretch an issue but also good for your client, whatever side that’s on, I think that was a really useful skill to have, Harrington described. “It was also a huge perk to win it for MSU for the first time with this great team.”
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