GWU Defies Gravity, Wins Championship Of The Universe In Lachs Space Law Competition

If there is any official policy here at Mootness, it is that we have a soft spot in our hearts for the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot. I have several theories as to why this is, but the leading one at the moment is this: The hardware. The Lachs Trophy. It is an awesome thing. I think it reminds me of women I wished I dated in college: it is beautiful, complicated, maybe a little nuts, all beguilingly sharp edges and dangerous curves. Click the thumbnail and look at the full-sized photo. And try to resist its power. I dare you.

So right now, the trophy is in the hands of the George Washington University Law School for the third time. David (D.J.) Western and Magin Puig Monsen earned it by winning the North American regional tournament last spring (sweeping the brief and oralist awards in the process) and then winning the world championship in Hyerabad, India in September. The world championship round pitted the GWU students against advocates from European regional champion Leiden University (the Netherlands) and Asia-Pacific regional champions the University of Queensland (Australia). There will be no interplanetary round. Those angry little frozen critters on the no-longer-a-planet Pluto thingee ain't getting their grubby tendrils on the Lachs Trophy.

The Queensland team won the Eileen Galloway Award for Best Brief. Rola Lin of Queensland won the Sterns & Tennen Award for Best Oralist.

GWU's report is here. A write-up in the fascinating Space Law Probe blog is here. Mootness reports on GWU's 2005 galactic championship are here and here.

If there is any official policy here at Mootness, it is that we have a soft spot in our hearts for the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot. I have several theories as to why this is, but the leading one at the moment is this: The hardware. The Lachs Trophy. It is an awesome thing. I think it reminds me of women I wished I dated in college: it is beautiful, complicated, maybe a little nuts, all beguilingly sharp edges and dangerous curves. Click the thumbnail and look at the full-sized photo. And try to resist its power. I dare you.

So right now, the trophy is in the hands of the George Washington University Law School for the third time. David (D.J.) Western and Magin Puig Monsen earned it by winning the North American regional tournament last spring (sweeping the brief and oralist awards in the process) and then winning the world championship in Hyerabad, India in September. The world championship round pitted the GWU students against advocates from European regional champion Leiden University (the Netherlands) and Asia-Pacific regional champions the University of Queensland (Australia). There will be no interplanetary round. Those angry little frozen critters on the no-longer-a-planet Pluto thingee ain't getting their grubby tendrils on the Lachs Trophy.

The Queensland team won the Eileen Galloway Award for Best Brief. Rola Lin of Queensland won the Sterns & Tennen Award for Best Oralist.

GWU's report is here. A write-up in the fascinating Space Law Probe blog is here. Mootness reports on GWU's 2005 galactic championship are here and here.