Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Judges Final Round of Armand Arabian Advocacy Tournament 2024
On September 20, 2024, United States Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett presided over the Armand Arabian Advocacy Tournament at Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law.
Justice Barrett was joined on the final-round bench by Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton and Judge Joan L. Larsen, both of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
When giving tips to the students about oral argument, Justice Barrett said, “Lawyers shouldn’t think of the questions from the bench as interruptions. Instead, it’s a golden opportunity to see what the judges care about.”
For the final round of this year’s tournaments, second-year law student Isaac Zwerling and third-year law student Kylie Thornburg advanced legal arguments about the interplay between the Contract Clause of the United States Constitution and a federal civil rights statute. At the end of the competition, the three judges named Zwerling as the tournament's champion.
"The student advocates demonstrated all of the attributes that make Pepperdine Caruso Law students exemplary: intelligence; hard work; professionalism; humility; a deep- seated love of the law; and, of course, outstanding oral advocacy,” said Paul Caron, the Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean of Pepperdine Caruso Law. “We are proud of their performances and grateful to our distinguished final-round bench for joining us during this flagship event.”
The Armand Arabian Advocacy Tournament is an annual moot court competition at Pepperdine Caruso Law. It is named after the Honorable Armand M. Arabian, who served as an Associate Justice at the Supreme Court of California from 1990 until his retirement in 1996. He was well-known for his excellent legal opinions and support of stellar oral advocacy.
Pepperdine Caruso Law congratulates Zwerling, Thornburg, semifinalists Brooke Newman and Shaelyn Carroll, and all the participants in this year's tournament for their excellence in oral advocacy.