Pepperdine Caruso Law Hosts United States Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan for Armand Arabian Advocacy Tournament 2025
On Friday, September 26, 2025, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law hosted the final round of the annual Armand Arabian Advocacy Tournament. Justice Elena Kagan of the Supreme Court of the United States served as the presiding justice of the final round alongside the Honorable Consuelo M. Callahan, circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and distinguished appellate attorney Kannon Shanmugam, partner and chair of the Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation Practice at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
The competition’s two student finalists, Megan Hoefs and Christopher Agliozzo, presented their respective arguments, answering many questions from the active panel. Following the conclusion of oral argument, Justice Kagan announced the panel’s decision that Hoefs was the Armand Arabian Advocacy Tournament champion.
“It was an immense honor to win this event in front of such an esteemed panel,” said Hoefs following the event. “It is not every day that you get to argue in front of a Supreme Court Justice, let alone your favorite Justice, and it is a memory I will hold close for a long time. I am deeply grateful for Justice Kagan, Judge Callahan, and Kannon Shanmugam taking the time to participate in this event.”
Hoefs and Agliozzo secured their spots in the final by advancing through a series of four preliminary rounds. At each new stage, the two students were challenged to refine their arguments and consider the case in a new light. In order to prepare for the finals, Hoefs and Agliozzo redoubled their efforts, studying the details of the hypothetical legal quandary with peers to ensure their perspective and reasoning was sound. Despite their extensive preparations, executing the finely tuned arguments they had prepared before peers, professors, and the highly distinguished final round panel proved to be a test unlike any other.
“Arguing in front of the entire law school was the most nerve racking thing I have ever done, and to have made it through my argument and done the best job I can gives me the confidence to grow even more,” said Agliozzo. “This competition challenged me to grow my ability to think on my feet, reason with a judge in real-time, and to think about legal precedents on a deeper level. [The competition] confirmed my interest in oral advocacy and has made me aspire to become an appellate or trial attorney.”
The Armand Arabian Advocacy Tournament is one of three moot court competitions that take place at Pepperdine Caruso Law School throughout the academic year. The competition was named after the Honorable Armand M. Arabian—a former associate justice of the Supreme Court of California. The 2025 event dealt with the concept of free speech and featured 26 total student participants. The final round of the competition filled Caruso Law’s auditorium to capacity with spectators, including Robert Arabian, who is the son of the tournament’s namesake.
“The Armand Arabian Advocacy Tournament is one of the great experiential learning
exercises we offer at the Caruso School of Law,” said Paul Caron, the Duane and Kelly
Roberts Dean of Pepperdine Caruso Law School. “The participating students exemplify
the core virtues of our institution with their effort, integrity, and commitment to
excellence. We are proud to help shape their vocational journeys with events such
as this one. We are grateful for the prestigious jurists,
faculty, and attorneys—including our distinguished final round bench —who invest in
our future lawyers.”
From L to R: Agliozzo, Callahan, Kagan, Shanmugam, and Hoefs
Learn more about the law school's moot court competitions at Pepperdine Caruso Law Moot Court