Alexandra Campbell wins 56th annual Hale Moot Court Honors Competition

Erin Ayala (left) and Alexandra Campbell prepare their notes before the competition begins.

Is it a Fourth Amendment violation to require convicted misdemeanor sex offenders to submit to a DNA database? Is it a violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause to display a monument that depicts the Ten Commandments on the front lawn of a probation office?

Second-year students Erin Ayala, Alexandra Campbell, Kristen Minger and Minal Patel tackled these issues as they competed in the final round of the USC Law 2005 Hale Moot Court Honors Competition held Feb. 18 at USC's Norris Theater.

Campbell took top honors in the annual oral advocacy contest; Minger was runner-up. As champion, Campbell receives a California Bar/BRI Bar Review scholarship for half the cost of her bar review course.

Chief Justice Myron T. Steele, of the Delaware Supreme Court, Justice Donald W. Lemons, of the Virginia Supreme Court, and Judge Diane P. Wood of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals commended the finalists for delivering well-prepared, sophisticated arguments.

"All three of us would happily take the four of you in our courtrooms on any occasion, any day," said Wood.

Best petitioner brief awards were given to Alexis Alonzo and Benjamin Conway; Anna Fudacz and Marike Jones were runner-up. Best respondent brief awards were given to Amar Hatti and Charlene Oh; Minger and Adam Rossetti were runner-up. Hatti and Moot Court topic editor Jacob Heath also were recognized by program participants for outstanding service.

Forty 2Ls were selected to compete in this year’s prestigious — and completely student-run — Hale Moot Court Honors Program, which provides participants an opportunity to develop appellate advocacy skills. Brian Bergman is chair of the program committee; Candice Lee serves as administrative vice chair; and Denica Anderson, the 2004 Moot Court champion, is advocacy vice chair.