Gonzaga Law Wins National Gender & Sexuality Moot Court Competition
Please join us in congratulating Gonzaga Law School’s Civil Rights Moot Court Team, Meghan Conlin and Anne Mari Petrino, for winning the Michigan State College of Law’s Gender & Sexuality National Moot Court Competition!
The Moot Court Competition took place virtually on March 18 & 19th. Gonzaga Law School had three teams of two competing. The problem presented legal issues that are timely and challenging, relating to judicial recusal and competing interests under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and State’s Rights to ensure access to reproductive health care. The competition had 19 teams, with 38 law students from schools across the nation, including Notre Dame Law School, Villanova School of Law, Seton Hall School of Law, University of Minnesota Law School, and Michigan State University College of Law among others.
With very early appearances (5:30am PST) and three preliminary rounds on day one, all three teams represented Gonzaga School of Law incredibly well and each team received outstanding feedback and compliments from their panels of judges during each round. Anne Mari Petrino and Meghan Conlin’s team advanced to the quarter finals and second day of competition.
On day two, Ms. Conlin and Ms. Petrino advanced through the quarter and semifinal rounds by 9:30 a.m. The final round consisted of an esteemed panel of guest judges, highlighted by Judge Elizabeth L. Gleicher, Chief Judge of the Michigan Second District Court of Appeals, Professor Joan W. Howarth of Michigan State University College of Law, and Attorney Jay Kaplan, an LGBTQ+ Rights Project Staff Attorney for the ACLU of Michigan.
Ms. Conlin and Ms. Petrino were exceptional in the final round. They both demonstrated thorough knowledge of the facts, legal issues, and case law and handled challenging questions from the panel of judges confidently. Despite tough opposition, their persuasive, passionate advocacy secured Ms. Conlin and Ms. Petrino first place in the Competition!
The Civil Rights team is comprised of the following students: Anne Mari Petrino & Meghan Conlin; Madisan Bryant & Courtney Bryson; and Amanda Lopez & Beth Phillips. The teams were coached by local practitioner and adjunct professor Natasha Hill and Sarah Harmon, Staff Director for the Center for Civil and Human Rights.
We congratulate all of these students on their incredible efforts and achievements and are so proud of how well they represented Gonzaga Law. Go Zags!