Mikaela Burch of Saginaw Among Best in Country in Moot Court Competition

2013 Jan 29

Political science and criminal justice major Mikaela Burch of Saginaw, Mich., proved her talent at arguing legal issues, advancing to the national moot court competition held in Virginia Beach, Va., Friday, Jan. 18, and Saturday, Jan. 19.

In the competition, hosted by the American Collegiate Moot Court Association, students act as attorneys in teams of two (Burch's partner was Clarkston resident and criminal justice major Brandon Harris). They make arguments to a panel of judges, drawing upon constitutional law and Supreme Court cases. Judges then choose winners based on competitors' public speaking ability, knowledge of law and past cases, and performance in fielding questions.

"They've all done well," said Julie Keil, lecturer of political science and adviser for the team, now in its third year at SVSU. "The quality of competition is much better than even last year so this success is wonderful."

The pair is one of three SVSU teams that earned a chance to compete at the national level. Joining them as national qualifiers were Hailey Kimball, a political science major from Millersburg, and Kevin Lortenz, a criminal justice major from Clarkston; and political science majors Marissa Geyer from Auburn and Larissa Skalecki from Saginaw.

For more information about the moot court competition, visit www.acmamootcourt.org.

Saginaw Valley State University is a comprehensive university that offers 90 programs of study for more than 10,000 students on its suburban campus in Michigan's Great Lakes Bay Region. SVSU is committed to quality teaching in the classroom, field-based learning experiences, NCAA Division II athletics and a range of academic and extracurricular opportunities for students to excel. Visit www.svsu.edu to learn more.