Jonathan Maier and Sean Sherman were declared the winners of the sixty-first annual Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition. On February 3, a crowd of over 400 watched Maier and Sherman—both 2Ls—face a team comprised of 3Ls Alexander Hastings and Thanh Nguyen.

Three Federal court of appeals judges presided: Honorable Judge Leslie Southwick of the Fifth Circuit, Honorable Judge Joseph Greenaway of the Third Circuit, and Honorable Judge Barbara Milano Keenan of the Fourth Circuit, who is also an alum of The George Washington University Law School.

“The competition was a great experience,” said Sherman. “It was hard work but worth it in the end. Jon was a great teammate. We complemented each other very well and kept each other calm throughout.”

The Moot Court Board President, Chris Healey, was very happy with the finalists. “Their dedication and practice resulted in a highly poised and polished display of oral advocacy on GW Law’s biggest stage,” Healey said. “It was a joy to see them bring the competition problem to life.”

Healey, Erik Benny, and Julie Fleischman began working on the competition problem in March 2010. Dean Alan Morrison, who argued one of the most recent Dormant Commerce Clause cases in front of the Supreme Court, guided them through the process.

“The semi-finals were far more nerve-wracking than the finals because we had to go up in front of Dean Morrison,” Sherman said.

Healey, Benny, Fleischman, and Dean Morrison said they were very pleased with how the problem turned out.

In an attempt to make the competition more accessible, the authors of the problem gave the audience a preview of the facts of the case and each team’s basic arguments.

“From what other students have told me, this preview allowed audience members to follow along much more closely as the competitors responded to questions from the judges,” Healey said.

“Hopefully, this has begun a new tradition, and will make the final round a learning opportunity for the entire student body.”