Comparative Government Class Visits with Federal Judge
Students from Josh Weinstein’s Comparative Government class visited with Federal Judge Joshua Wolson of the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on March 8. The students had a unique opportunity to ask Judge Wolson about his career and his current role as a federal judge and offered rare insight into the judicial mind at work.
After a roundtable discussion, Judge Wolson held a moot court competition simulating a court hearing pertaining to students’ First Amendment rights to free speech under the United States Constitution. Students then participated in a moot court exercise involving the recent Supreme Court case of Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., a.k.a. “the cheerleader case.”
The question presented before Judge Wolson was whether the First Amendment prohibits public school officials from regulating off-campus student speech. Seniors Peter Tummarello, Jason Strauss, Ava Carlson, and Samuel Reyes argued for the Petitioners, claiming that the lower court erred in ruling in favor of the student B.L. And, seniors Aani Desai, Ishaan Shah, Lila Smith, and Colin Cooper argued on behalf of the Respondents, claiming that the lower court had correctly decided that B.L. had a first amendment right and was unlawfully suspended from school.
“The mooters were simply outstanding, as evidenced by Judge Wolson’s feedback after the competition,” said Mr. Weinstein. He gave the students high praise for their efforts and performance.”
Afterwards, the group gathered for lunch inside the courtroom. Mooting is not the same as public speaking or debating, although it shares some common elements with these activities. It is a specialized application of the art of persuasive advocacy. It has been part of the process of training lawyers for centuries and plays an important role in legal education. And, it now plays an important role in the education of these MFS students.
Funding for this outside-of-the-classroom experience was provided by the Cully Miller Social Studies Endowment at MFS.