by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Though crisp fall weather awaited competitors at the 30th annual Hulsey-Kimbrell Moot Court Competition outside the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse Friday, conditions inside the courtroom were a little hot.
In an appellate setting, when advocates face a panel of judges that aggressively questions their arguments, the courtroom is described as “hot.”
That was the type of setting teams of advocates from the University of Florida and the University of Georgia found at the moot court competition that coincides with the annual football game held in Jacksonville.
“I didn’t mind all the questions,” said Erik Chambers, of the University of Georgia, petitioner’s counsel. “Questions make the time go faster and it makes it easier to have a conversation with the judges so I can get my point across.”
David Ballard was the other half of the Georgia team and agreed.
“They asked some fair questions of our argument,” said Ballard. “They were a very active bench and really hit key parts of the issue. They were very focused on both sides of the issue.”
University of Florida law graduate U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Susan Black presided over the courtroom where the competition was held and was charged with announcing the winner of the competition.
“I know that panels often talk of how even the teams are in the competition, but the teams were very evenly matched this year,” said Black. “We considered calling it a tie and making both teams winners, but to use a phrase from Alabama, ‘that would be like kissing your sister.’ There were very few weaknesses on either side, but the winner of this year’s competition is the University of Georgia.”
Black pointed to the issues as the reasons for the active panel. The teams argued a mock appeal based on issues yet to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court.
This year’s case involved a student who was denied access to a private school, he thought, because of a bad recommendation submitted by one of his teachers. The student created a Facebook page to ridicule the teacher. The principal suspended the student for five days citing online speech prohibition.
The student’s parents sued the fictitious State of Georgida claiming the provision on online speech violated their son’s freedom of speech. Additionally, they challenged the “right-to-choose” legislation.
“The issues, free speech and right-to-choose, are interesting and very balanced,” said Black. “Normally, the side that gets the hardest questions can shine more. So this was great. The issues were evenhanded, not giving one side or the other the advantage.”
Mark Hulsey, a 1948 graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and Charles Kimbrell, a 1947 graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law founded the competition 30 years ago to give law school students some real world experience in the courtroom and Hulsey enjoyed seeing that happen Friday.
“The intensity we saw today was exactly what we set out to create when we began this competition 30 years ago,” said Hulsey. “Both teams were very talented.”
356-2466