Liberty University Moot Court lands in Top 10 in the nation in preseason ranking

The American Moot Court Association has ranked Liberty University’s undergraduate Moot Court program, under the Helms School of Government, at sixth in the nation and second for oral advocacy for the upcoming season.

The placement is a drastic improvement from last year’s 11th place ranking.

“I think this says a lot about the processes that were put in place even before I got here,” said Assistant Professor of Government and Moot Court Coach Dr. Benjamin Rathsam, who will be entering his second season as coach. “This is a reinforcement that what we’re doing is working right now. It’s just been a great testament for the students to see what their work can accomplish.”

In January, Liberty seniors David Korn and Randall Shirey, veterans of Liberty’s Moot Court program, ousted a team from Colorado Christian University to claim the national title. This national competition brought together the top 100 teams in the nation to argue First Amendment issues. Korn and Shirey’s victory was Liberty’s first national championship.

The AMCA ranked Patrick Henry College, a behemoth in the Moot Court scene, first overall and first in oral advocacy. Other schools ranked in the top five are: California State University—Fullerton, St. Thomas University, California State University—Long Beach, and University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Forty students have already tried out for Liberty’s Moot Court team. The topic this year will center around a compulsory vaccination case. Students will argue whether or not the federal government has constitutional authority to enforce polio vaccination requirements.

Students interested in participating in Moot Court can email Dr. Rathsam at brathsam@liberty.edu.