Students Compete at State Capitol
Principia’s Model Illinois Government and Moot Court teams made an outstanding showing at the 2015 Model Illinois Government simulation at the Capitol building in Springfield last week. (Moot court is a branch of Model Illinois Government.)
First-Time Moot Court Teams Compete Skillfully
All three of Principia's moot court teams made it to the quarterfinals, and one team, consisting of political science majors Shontee Pant and Colby Bermel, went on to the semifinals. Shontee also won Moot Court Top Novice recognition. These achievements are all the more remarkable since this was the first time any of the students had competed.
Modeled after law school competitions, intercollegiate moot court simulates oral arguments before the state Supreme Court. The mock case is based on a real case currently working its way to the state's highest court, and many of the judges, especially in the advanced rounds, are practicing attorneys and current law students. This year's case concerned the constitutional power of local governments to cut employees' pension benefits in order to avoid municipal bankruptcy.
Political science professor John Williams, who coaches Principia’s moot court team, was particularly enthusiastic about the group’s accomplishments. "We haven't had a team break into quarterfinals in a number of years,” he commented, “so it was a thrill to see all three teams make it this year.”
Model Illinois Government Delegation Wins Award
At the same time moot court competitions were taking place, Principia’s Model Illinois Government (MIG) team—Briggs DeLoach, Cameron Douglas, and Lyssa Winslow—was successfully debating policy issues in another part of the Capitol. They debated so successfully, in fact, that Principia won Outstanding Small Delegation recognition as well as several individual honors. Briggs won Best Senate Committee Member, and he and Cameron were both elected to minority leadership in the senate.
Dr. Brian Roberts, political science professor and Model Illinois Government team coach, describes the event’s challenges: “Debating an array of public policy issues in an environment where you need to condense your argument to one-minute, or 30-second, statements requires considerable knowledge and skill. All three students consistently delivered well-reasoned, persuasive remarks on the floor of the senate. Cameron and Briggs also displayed strong leadership skills in their elected roles, empowering members of their caucus and reaching across partisan lines to achieve legislative goals.”
This year's MIG event (including moot court) involved over 200 students from all corners of the state, including teams from much larger schools, such as the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and Millikin University.
Moot court competitors above, left to right: Connor Fiddler, Zeke Oullette, Justin Duffy, Abigail Blatt, Colby Bermel, and Shontee Pant.