March 26, 2025
Location: District of Columbia H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse
500 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001
- 5:30 p.m. Team Check-In
- 6:15 – 7:30 p.m. Preliminary Round 1 of Oral Argument
- 7:45 – 9:00 p.m. Preliminary Round 2 of Oral Argument
- 11:00 p.m. Announcement of teams advancing to round of sixteen
March 27, 2025
Location: U.S. Court of Federal Claims
717 Madison Pl NW, Washington, DC 20006
- 8:30 – 9:45 a.m. Round of sixteen of oral argument (Part A)
- 10:15 – 11:45 a.m. Round of sixteen of oral argument (Part B)
- 12:00 p.m. Announcement of teams advancing to quarterfinal round
- 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Quarterfinal Round of oral argument
- 2:30 p.m. Announcement of teams advancing to semifinal round of oral argument
- 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Semifinal Round of oral argument
- 5:00 p.m. Announcement of teams advancing to Final Round.
Location: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
450 E St NW, Washington, DC 20001
- 6:00 p.m. Final Round of oral argument
- 8:00 p.m. Awards Reception
EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS FROM 2024 AND IS FOR REFERENCE UNTIL WE HAVE 2025 INFORMATION
Briefs
All team briefs have been posted to the following shared folder: 2024 Moot Court Briefs – Team Access. Please notify sections@fedbar.org if you are unable to access the folder.
Schedule
The special bonus about the Marshall competition is… often the Cherry Blossoms start blooming while you’re there! It’s BEAUTIFUL!!! You can watch the Cherry Blossoms Forecast to see if they will blossom as early as they did last year – which would be during your competition week this year! Click this link to follow the watch!
Pairings
Per 1/30/24 Email with links:
The preliminary rounds will take place at the District of Columbia H. Carl Moultrie I Courthouse on Wednesday, March 20 from 6:15-9:00 PM EDT.
DC H. Carl Moultrie I Courthouse
500 Indiana Avenue
Washington DC, 20001
For March 21 during the day – from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm EDT, we plan to hold arguments at the United States Court of Federal Claims in the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building starting at 8:30 AM EDT.
U.S Court of Federal Claims
717 Madison Place NW
Washington DC, 20001
The final round will be held at the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. All teams are invited to view the final round, which begins at 6:00 pm EDT on March 21 and to stay for the Awards Reception, which begins at 7:30 pm EDT.
U.S Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
450 E Street,
Washington DC, 20442
Please note that teams will argue during both Preliminary Rounds. On March 12, you will receive notice for your Petitioner/Respondent assignments for the Preliminary Rounds. Teams that are assigned as the Petitioner in Preliminary Round 1 will be assigned as the Respondent in Preliminary Round 2 (and vice versa).
2024 PRESENTATION AND JUDGE CRITERIA
Each team has 30 minutes to present its argument. Teams may divide this time among their two competitors as the team wishes, provided that no individual competitor shall argue more than 20 minutes in any round. The bailiff will hold up timecards with 10, 5, 3, 1 and 0 minutes left so that the competitors and judges know how much time is left. When the bailiff holds up the “0” sign, the competitor’s time has expired.
Judges will score based on the following criteria:
- Evidence of Research; Knowledge of the Record, Issues and Law; Organization and Reasoning
- Minimum 25 points / Maximum 50 points
- Does counsel give a broad but brief overview of the argument?
- Does counsel have a thorough knowledge of the factual and procedural record? Is counsel able to direct you to important language therein?
- Does counsel emphasize the important issues?
- Does counsel argue the heart of the matter adequately and is he or she selective in discussing issues?
- Does counsel employ reason and logic rather than just relying upon precedents? Are counsel’s arguments clear and direct?
- Are the issues firmly fixed in the Court’s mind when counsel leaves the Court?
- Ability to Answer Questions
- Minimum 10 points / Maximum 20 points
- Is counsel responsive to questions rather than evasive or repeatedly unable to give an answer (deferring to one’s partner is permissible where such a question involves the other team member’s argument)?
- Is counsel able to answer a question with authority, either theoretically or with case names?
- Is counsel able to fit relevant questions into his or her overall analysis and argument? Is counsel able to continue his or her argument following a question?
- Is counsel candid about weak points in his or her argument?
- Is Counsel Convincing Irrespective of the Merits?
- Minimum 5 points / Maximum 10 points
- Not taking into account the underlying merits, does counsel exhibit those qualities that are characteristic of good oral advocates?
- Forensic Performance
- Minimum 5 points / Maximum 10 points
- Does counsel use correct pronunciation and grammar?
- Does counsel use timely emphasis?
- Does counsel effectively use pauses?
- Is counsel’s voice clear, rather than inaudible or difficult to understand?
- Does counsel repeatedly use “uh,” “er,” “um” or other distracting verbal crutches?
- Does counsel know his or her argument or does he or she refer excessively to notes or read a prepared text?
- Courtroom Demeanor
- Minimum 5 points / Maximum 10 points
- Is counsel trying to be helpful to the Court?
- Does counsel project an image of professional sincerity toward his or her client?
- Does counsel have distracting non-verbal mannerism?
- Does counsel maintain good eye contact?
- Is counsel courteous rather than sarcastic, condescending, or resentful?
2023 Moot Court Student Schedule and Information LINK
Metro Help: http://wmata.com
