Four Notre Dame Law School students had the opportunity to argue a case in front of a panel of distinguished federal judges on Monday, February 6, at the Law School’s 73rd annual Moot Court Showcase Argument.
The judges for this year’s Showcase Argument were Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett of the Supreme Court of the United States, Judge Britt Grant of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and Chief Judge Diane Sykes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
The fictitious case chosen for the exercise, St. Agatha High School v. Vanessa Benson and the State of Hoynes, concerned a teacher at a Catholic school who was fired for creating social media posts that rejected and contradicted the school’s religious teachings. Third-year law students Olivia Rogers and Leo O’Malley advocated for the school’s position, while third-year law students Courtney Klaus and Elisabeth Crusey advocated for the teacher’s position.
The case involved issues such as whether the Religion Clauses prevent civil courts from adjudicating employment discrimination claims brought by an employee against her religious employer when the employee’s job description contains religious responsibilities, and whether the fictitious Hoynes Supreme Court erred in concluding that the state’s human rights act was neutral and generally applicable.
Notre Dame Law School hosts the annual Moot Court Showcase Argument for the primary purpose of providing first-year law students with an...
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