Moriarity First-Year Moot Court Competition 2024

Pepperdine Caruso Law's annual Colonel John L. and Maria Moriarity First-Year Moot Court Competition final round was held on Friday, April 5, 2024. The final round judges consisted of the Honorable Nancy L. Moritz, the Honorable Joel M. Carson, and the Honorable Jerome A. Holmes; all of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Caruso Law student Joanne Kasem served as the bailiff for the final round, and Allison Croul and Saba Hosseini served as the timekeepers.

The annual competition is named for the late Colonel John L. Moriarity and Maria Moriarity, who supported the School of Law for over 40 years. Col. Moriarity lived his entire life in the San Fernando Valley, except when he was on active duty with the US Army as a member of the Judge Advocate Generals Corps. He attended UCLA for seven years and practiced as a civil trial attorney. His wife, Maria, attended Rutgers University and raised the six children of the Moriarity family. Col. Moriarity passed away on September 2, 2023.

After the final round of the competition, Katarina Finseth and Taylor Hitchan were awarded first place, and each will receive a $1,000 cash prize. Melanie Ohanian and Bryce Gardella were awarded second place, and each will each receive $250.

Congratulations to all the first-year students who competed with excellence in the competition.