Notre Dame Law School Students Compete in International Moot Court on Law and Religion in Rome | News | The Law School

Four students and Professor Jacquline Carney in business attire pose on a rooftop in Rome, Italy, with the Colosseum visible in the background under a cloudy sky.

Notre Dame Law School students recently participated in the International Moot Court Competition in Law and Religion, held from March 12-14, 2025, in Rome, Italy. The competition, hosted at Notre Dame’s Rome, brought together law students from Europe and the United States to engage in rigorous debates about religious freedom and governmental interests.

Third-year Notre Dame law students Margot Calmar, Lucy Kidwell, Hopper Murray, and Mia Nevarez represented Notre Dame Law School at the event. Murray and Kidwell contributed as brief writers, crafting detailed legal arguments in support of both petitioner and respondent, while Calmar and Nevarez delivered oral arguments representing the petitioner before judges acting as the U.S. Supreme Court.

People sit at a table with a "University of Notre Dame | Rome" banner during a presentation. A large screen displays a timer from timeanddate.com showing 29 minutes and 37 seconds. A person in a gray suit stands at a podium to the left, speaking into a microphone.

Participants explored the complex issue of whether leasing federal property—the sacred Valhalla Valley—to a private mining company violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The Druids, an indigenous religious group, argued that mining would irreparably harm their sacred site and their ability to practice an annual religious ritual. The Government countered that mining the land would revitalize the economically depressed region and promote green energy. Competing teams presented arguments before panels simulating the U.S. Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

Notre Dame Law students argued exclusively before the U.S. Supreme Court panel, engaging in a challenging round against Brigham Young University (BYU). Judge Richard J. Sullivan of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals; Evelyn Blacklock, a former Supreme Court clerk and Kirkland and Ellis associate; and Michalyn Steele, the Marion G. Romney Professor of Law at BYU served as Supreme Court justices.

This year's competition included teams from Madrid, Milan, Budapest, and Ukraine, as well as Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, BYU Law School, Cardozo School of Law, Emory University School of Law, and St. John's University School of Law. The diverse array of participating schools allowed students to engage in a global conversation about issues of law and religion over the course of the competition.

Audience and panelists at the 8th International Moot Court Competition in Law and Religion at the University of Notre Dame, Rome Global Gateway. A man in a dark suit stands at a podium addressing the audience, while several panelists sit at a table facing the audience. A screen displays the event title and sponsors' logos.

Nevarez said, "I truly felt honored to be there and so grateful that the school provided me with such a tremendous opportunity."

Kidwell added, "It was incredible to argue a timely issue in one of the world's greatest cities, and we're so lucky the school gave us the opportunity to contribute."

The team was coached and supervised by Jacqueline Carney, the faculty advisor for Notre Dame Law School’s Moot Court Board and an assistant teaching professor in the Legal Writing Program.

The competition provided an enriching experience that underscored Notre Dame Law School’s commitment to international legal education and religious freedom advocacy.