USP Moot Court Teams Compete and Win at Princeton

University Scholars Students Moot Court holding trophy

On Friday, April 28, 2017 several PALCS University Scholars Program (USP) Moot Court Teams traveled from all over Pennsylvania to Princeton University for a two day tournament. USP sent 7 teams total to compete, which is the most ever for the program. Each team consisted of 2 students, and we could not be more proud of the 14 students who competed. We are so happy to announce that one of our very own teams took first place out of 63 teams!

The first place winners were Andrew “Jake” Adams and Asher Donohue. Jake is currently in 10th grade and first enrolled in PALCS in 2013 as a 7th grader.  Asher is currently in the 11th grade and first enrolled at PALCS in 2015 as a 9th grader.

The tournament is hosted by Princeton’s Mock Trial team two times a year for high school students. High school students compete in teams of two against teams from other top schools in the country.

Moot Court follows the structure of an appeals court or Supreme Court hearing. Each team of two is considered attorneys and prepare/present arguments on cases to a judge or panel. After four preliminary rounds there are single elimination rounds that include the top 32 teams.  Once the completion is down to two teams, there is a final faceoff in front of a panel of 9 justices, mimicking the Supreme Court.

Congratulations to all the students who participated in this highly competitive tournament, which is an achievement all on its own. A very special congratulations to Jake and Asher on their first place victory–we are so honored to have you represent our school!  We would also like to thank all the parents and families of our students, and teachers who helped make this competition a reality!

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