Justice Amy Coney Barrett to Judge Final Round of Moot Court Tournament Named in Her Honor | News | The Law School

Headshots of three smiling female judges in black robes. Left: Justice Amy Coney Barrett, white woman with light brown hair and pearls. Center: Judge Amy St. Eve, white woman with short brown hair and pink scarf. Right: Judge Stephanie Davis, Black woman with dark hair and red lipstick.

Notre Dame Law School will hold the final round of the Justice Amy Coney Barrett Moot Court Tournament on Friday, November 21, in McCartan Courtroom. This highly-anticipated event will be judged by an esteemed panel of judges that includes U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Notre Dame Law School graduate and former longtime member of the faculty for whom the tournament is named. She will be joined by Judge Amy St. Eve of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Judge Stephanie Davis of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Established in 2024, the Justice Amy Coney Barrett Moot Court Tournament is a schoolwide appellate advocacy competition that showcases the advocacy skills of Notre Dame Law students, including members of the Moot Court Board. Open to all second- and third-year students, the tournament invites students to compete in two-person teams as oral advocates, as brief writers, or both.

“We are deeply honored to welcome Justice Barrett back to Notre Dame, along with Judge Amy St. Eve and Judge Stephanie Davis, to preside over the final round of our Justice Amy Coney Barrett Moot Court Tournament,” said G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law. “We look forward to witnessing the outstanding oral advocacy of our finalists and to celebrating the dedication, skill, and preparation that this competition represents.”

This year’s competition began in September with 44 student oralists forming 22 teams. Eighteen briefs were submitted by individuals and student teams. The final round will feature the top two teams of student advocates: Alesis Juntunen and Thomas MacPhee and Marin Larkin and Kathleen Casey. Judges for the preliminary and elimination rounds included faculty members, local attorneys and judges, and Notre Dame Law School alumni.

The 2025 tournament problem poses two discrete questions related to defendant Lucas Thompson’s arrest and sentencing for stealing Visa gift cards from the Best Buy where he worked. Students will argue first whether the forced use of Thompson's Face ID to unlock a cell phone was testimonial for the purposes of the Fifth Amendment’s self-incrimination clause; and second, whether the commentary to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines remains binding on courts under Stinson v. United States, 508 U.S. 36 (1993), after the Supreme Court's more recent opinion in Kisor v. Wilkie, 588 U.S. 558 (2019).

In recognition of their achievements, the first-place team of oral advocates will receive a $10,000 cash prize, to be shared between the two winning students. The second-place team will receive $5,000, and the author of the best brief will also earn $5,000.

Continuing the tradition of featuring distinguished jurists, last year’s final round was judged by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Judge Elizabeth Branch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and Judge Gerald Pappert ’88 J.D. of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The final round of arguments on November 21 will be open to Notre Dame Law School students, faculty, and staff. Members of the Law School community will receive an email this week with details on how to register to attend.