Herbert J. Wechsler
National Criminal Law Moot Court Competition
Second Round of Questions
February 10, 2010
Dear Teams,
Below you will find the answers to the questions submitted for the final question round regarding the Briefs. We are sorry we cannot provide further assistance to your questions outside of the answers below.
REMINDER: BRIEFS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY FEBRUARY 19,2010. Please refer to the Rules of the Competition for submission, formatting, and copy requirements. Please also note that your briefs should contain only your assigned team number, and there should be NO identifying information on your briefs.
Questions:
1. When preparing the statement of the facts, should we cite to the case since there is no record?
A: Yes. Since facts regarding Carr's case should be taken from the 7th Circuit opinion and the District Court opinion (See First Round of Questions), these cases would constitute the "record" and should be cited to for that purpose.
2. It's double spacing on the brief, right?
A: The Formatting requirements for the brief are outlined in Section III(B) of the Rules of the Competition. As stated in the rules,the briefs shall be produced on 8 1/2 by 11 inch white paper, and the printed materials shall not exceed 6 1/2 by 9 1/2 lines (margins set at 1" all around). Typically this means that the briefs are double spaced.
3. Can we cite to the amicus briefs?
A: There is no rule against this, however it is important to keep in mind the "persuasiveness" of your authority. Notwithstanding this caveat, research on the issues must be left up to the teams' discretion. For fairness to all teams, we cannot help teams with their argument and/or research of the issues, or whether you are "on track" to answering the issues. One of the purposes of the competition is for you to decide how the issues should be argued, and which research supports those arguments. This is not a "closed universe problem" and all research you find is fair game.
4. Can you please tell me what time the Welcome Reception is to begin?
A: Although details regarding the reception are not finalized, it will start no earlier than 7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 26. Please plan your travel accordingly. We will provide you with further details as they are finalized.