Moot Court prepares students for the future

CHARLOTTE ROCKWELL
PHOTOGRAPHER

JORDAN FOX
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

10/6/2025

Moot Court is a Political Science class – POL 206/306 – offered by Alma College that uniquely combines classroom learning and outside competition. In the course, students learn how to argue hypothetical court cases and build legal skills while partaking in various competitions throughout the season.

Though the course, taught by Assistant Professor of Political Science Ben Taylor, is targeted toward students intending to go to law school or seeking a profession in law-related fields, the class is open to everyone. 

“The questions that students study address tricky legal issues, but they also involve deep moral questions… These are issues about which students, and people in general, have strong feelings. But they have to put those feelings to the side when they learn how to argue about what the Constitution, as interpreted through prior real-world cases, requires,” said Taylor. 

Moot Court is a course where learned skills are applied in real life, as the students have the chance to put their skills to the test at competitions against other colleges across the nation.  

“Students spend the semester learning both sides of a constitutional question and then go to tournaments where they present their arguments in front of judges. Those judges can interrupt them at any time to demand clarification, just like the Supreme Court does,” said Taylor.

Taylor’s class competed in a single-day scrimmage at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) on Sept. 20. The CSULB Moot Court coach invited both Alma and Wooster College to participate.

“Students argued six consecutive rounds: half on petitioner, half on respondent. The judges were real-world attorneys, and they pressed the students in great detail to defend their arguments. It was a great experience!” said Ben Taylor, Assistant Professor of Political Science.

“It was a lot of fun to have the opportunity to go against other schools and see where we were, especially so early in the season,” said Stella Lampert (‘28). 

Lampert is a double-major in Psychology and Political Science with plans to attend law school after completing her undergraduate education at Alma. This is her first time participating in Moot Court.

The class plans to attend at least one more scrimmage to prepare for the upcoming tournament season, where three teams will compete at Saginaw Valley State University and several others will get the opportunity at Alma’s home tournament on Nov. 21-22. 

“The Moot Court ‘case problem’ gets released in May… Each case problem includes 8–12 real-world court cases on whose basis you can begin developing an argument. Students read these cases, construct arguments [and] then start practicing. They have to be able to argue both sides for up to 10 minutes,” said Taylor.

“Eventually, they compete in a regional tournament, and if they finish in the top 25%, they qualify for the national tournament,” said Taylor. 

Though this is only the second year of the program’s existence at Alma, Moot Court has already seen its fair share of success with two teams finishing one win away from the National Tournament. 

But more than tangible wins, Moot Court teaches students to consider the world around them in ways that are potentially contrary to their own beliefs. The course develops critical thinking, public speaking and research and writing skills, all of which directly translate to the professional world.