MORE THAN 100 LAW STUDENTS TO COMPETE IN HAWAIʻI
HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI: Law students representing 28 law schools will argue for and against native political recognition, as well as a native government’s right to determine its membership, when they compete in the 20th annual National Native American Law Students Association’s moot court competition. The upcoming competition, hosted at the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, will take place on February 24-25, 2012. A symposium on the issues highlighted in the problem will take place the day after the competition on Sunday, February 26, 2012.
UH Law Associate Professor and Director of Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law, Melody K. MacKenzie authored the competition problem. Three outside reviewers also reviewed the problem to ensure its fairness and accuracy. Designed to simulate the practice of law, the annual event requires competing law students in 2-person teams to conduct research and write legal briefs, without assistance from professors or others, and argue against other student teams at the competition.
Participating law schools include Arizona State University, Columbia, Cornell, UCLA, the University of Michigan, and the University of Washington, and 22 others.
Competition organizers are hoping to recruit more attorneys to serve as competition judges over the two-day event.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is a lead sponsor of the event.
Hawai`i’s only law school last hosted this competition in 2000 shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Rice v. Cayetano. That case resolved whether non-Hawaiians may vote in elections for trustees of the office of Hawaiian Affairs.
Derek Kauanoe, an event organizer noted, “we’re very excited to host the 20th annual event and to have so many competitors. It’s an opportunity to focus on some of the issues important to the Native Hawaiian community and to educate law students and attorneys across the U.S. about those matters.”
More information is available on the competition web page at http://www2.hawaii.edu/~nalsa/mootcourt.html
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