On March 22-23, competitors, coaches, judges, and lawyers from across the nation took part in the 74th Annual Seigenthaler-Sutherland Cup National First Amendment Moot Court Competition, hosted by Catholic Law in Washington, D.C. and co-sponsored by the Law School’s Center for Religious Liberty. This year's field was expanded to 34 teams competing in the event, which represented 32 different schools. This year’s problem — written by law students Andrea de la Camara (3L), Hope Gouterman (3L), Emily Johnson (3L), and Gerald Sharpe (2L) in conjunction with Seigenthaler-Sutherland Co-Coordinators Professor Susanna Fischer and A.G. Harmon, Associate Dean of Bench and Bar Programs — centered upon the issues on appeal examined who gets to decide what constitutes “science” and how First Amendment protections interact with this decision-making process. Advocates considered whether and in what ways a publicly funded institution may limit an individual’s scientific conclusions, and whether conclusions reached during a scientific investigation that comport with religious principles are inconsistent with the Establishment Clause.

On Friday, teams competed through two preliminary rounds. At the completion of the competition on Friday, the teams and judges gathered for a reception in the Louise H. Keelty and James K. Keelty, Jr. Atrium. During the reception, Casey Magersupp (3L), Vice-Chancellor of the Seigenthaler-Sutherland National First Amendment Moot Court Competition, announced which teams would go on to compete on Saturday. Saturday consisted of a quarter-final round, a semi-final round, and concluded with the final round. The twelve teams to advance to the second day of competition were:

Quarter Finals:

• Loyola University Chicago (Team 1)
• Florida State University (Team 3)
• South Texas College of Law Houston (Team 4)
• Seton Hall School of Law (Team 13)
• William & Mary Law School (Team 16)
• George Mason University (Team 17)
• Washburn University (Team 21)
• Wayne State University (Team 22)
• Notre Dame (Team 24)
• St. John's University (Team 29)
• Liberty University School of Law (Team 31)
• The Catholic University of America (Team 32)

Semi-Finals:

• George Mason University (Team 17)
• Notre Dame (Team 24)
• St. John's University (Team 29)
• The Catholic University of America (Team 32)

Final Round:

• George Mason University (Team 17)
• The Catholic University of America (Team 32)

Magersupp represented Catholic Law throughout the weekend and was responsible for putting together the large-scale competition that took a year of planning. Magersupp shared, "The success of a competition of this magnitude is a testament to the collective effort of many individuals, and I am incredibly grateful to each and every one who contributed. My sincere thanks go out to over 100 alumni and friends of the Law School who generously volunteered their time and expertise as brief and oral advocacy judges.” She also wanted to thank, "Evan Slupe and the Moot Court Association for their unwavering support and assistance throughout every stage of the competition. Your collective contributions have been instrumental in making this competition a resounding success."

The Law School is grateful for the 102 distinguished individuals who volunteered their time to serve as brief and oral argument judges for the event. The final round judges included The Honorable Mark Martin, Former Chief Justice Supreme Court of North Carolina, current Dean of High Point Law; The Honorable Joseph Leeson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and Gene Policinski, Esq., Senior Fellow at The Freedom Forum, former President and COO of the Newseum Institute, and one of the founding editors of USA Today.