The 32nd Annual National Criminal Procedure Tournament has concluded and the results can be found here: 2020 Results
The University of San Diego of Law’s Appellate Moot Court board cordially invites you to compete in the 32nd Annual National Criminal Procedure Tournament. USD will hold the 2020 National Criminal Procedure Tournament remotely this year on November 6 through November 8.
Important notes
- There is NO early registration, only General and Final Registration.
- Invitations to compete operate on a first come first serve basis: The first 20 teams to register during General Registration will be entered into this year’s competition. The first 10 teams to register during Final Registration will be entered in this year’s competition.
- USD Appellate Moot Court has the sole discretion to decide whether invitations will be extended during registration and to which schools invitations will be extended. USD Appellate Moot Court also reserves the right not to disclose which teams have been extended invitations.
General Registration
You may register one (1) team beginning on July 2, 2020 at 9:00am PST and ending on July 11, 2020 at 11:59pm PST
Final Registration
All schools may register up to two (2) teams during Final Registration beginning on July 18, 2020 at 9:00am PST and ending on July 25, 2020 at 11:59pm PST. If your school has already registered a team during General Registration, it may register a second team at this time.
Registration Instructions
Complete the Google Form below. Be sure to upload the affidavit provided on the website in the Google Form!
After you have been invited to participate, the competition fee will be due beginning on August 1 through August 31, 2020. Pay your registration fee by either (1) Electronic payment via Eventbrite or (2) mailing a check made payable to: “University of San Diego – Moot Court” Checks should be mailed to the following address:
Appellate Moot Court Board
University of San Diego School of Law
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
If your school should choose to pay via electronic payment, you will receive an emailed link and a password to access the USD National Criminal Procedure Tournament Eventbrite page in order to pay the registration fee electronically on August 1.
The registration fee is $300 for one team or $600 for two teams. Your fee is non-refundable after your entry fee is made via Eventbrite or by check and mailed to the USD Moot Court Office.
If you have any questions or concerns about this year’s National Criminal Procedure Tournament, please contact our Moot Court Office at: usdmootcourttournamen
We look forward to virtually welcoming you to San Diego!
2020 Material
Additional Notes:
- Each team will be guaranteed four total arguments to take place over one night and one morning.
- The tournament will provide advocates with the opportunity to argue challenging and timely issues related to criminal procedure before experienced and knowledgeable members of the California Bench and Bar. Previous final round judges include Justices of the Supreme Court of California and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
- If you are interested in serving as a volunteer judge for future tournaments, please e-mail: usd.judging@gmail.com
and provide your contact information, or click here to submit your information via our online system.
Rule Clarification:
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- Rule 8(e) shows inconsistent citations to the record—should we cite to the record as “R at 8.” or “R. at 8.”?
Answer: Please use “R. at 8.” A correction will be made and all teams will be informed.
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- Has Parker’s case gone to trial? There is some confusion over the use of the word “conviction” and whether this means Parker was convicted at trial after being denied her motion to suppress, or whether Parker has just been charged and this is an interlocutory appeal before trial.
Answer: Ms. Parker completed her trial, and that the statements made to both Officer Degg and Agent Mulder were used in preliminary hearings as well as at trial.
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- Does the problem use “probable cause hearing” and “preliminary hearing” interchangeably? They are sometimes broken out as two separate phases, such as on page 5 of the record, but then used interchangeably in section II.B of the Fourteenth Circuit opinion on pages 13 and 14 of the record.
Answer: The problem does use the phrases interchangeably, meaning, the implications are the same.
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- References to Officer Degg and Agent Degg?
Answer: The two are the same person.
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- Should the citations for the brief be in-text or footnotes? Under Rule 8. it mentions footnotes.
Answer: Citations should be in the text. Footnotes refers to information that the brief writer would see fit to exclude from the main text.
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- Is there an open or closed case universe in this competition?
Answer: The problem is an open universe, in the sense that you are not confined to the cases and law used in the record.
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- In the statement of the facts, on page 4 line 5 of the record, it states “Parker was placed in an interrogation room at 8 am.” However, on page 25, lines 16 through 23 it indicates that Ms. Parker was placed in a holding cell. Was Ms. Parker placed in an interrogation room the entire time while at the police station or was initially placed in a holding cell for 12 hours and then moved to an interrogation room when Agent Mulder arrived?
Answer: Ms. Parker was placed in an interrogation for the entire time.
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- Once Ms. Parker arrived at the station, where did Officer Degg and then Agent Mulder question her? It is unclear whether she was questioned by Officer Degg and Agent Mulder in the same location, since it is unclear as to where she was placed upon arriving at the station.
Answer: Officer Degg and Agent Mulder interrogated Ms. Parker in the same location.