Spring 2025 Moriarity First-Year Moot Court Competition

On Friday, March 28, the Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law hosted the final round of its annual Col. John L. and Maria Moriarity First-Year Moot Court Competition.  First-year law students Ashley Sapon and Abigail Mulvey argued against Kelly Burson and Rachel Ryan.  After spectacular performances from both teams, Burson and Ryan were chosen as the winners of the tournament.

The final round panel consisted of the Honorable Joel M. Carson III of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; the Honorable Patrick J. Bumatay of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; and the Honorable Jay S. Bybee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The annual Moriarity 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 General’s 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.

Pepperdine Caruso Law congratulates all the first-year students who competed in this competition.