Moot Court darling Matt Li shows off his U.S. Constitution.
(For those of you who have no idea what "Moot Court" is, it's a tournament at Concord-Carlisle High School in which teams go head-to-head arguing Supreme Court cases from the past.)
With CCHS Moot Court Round Two just a few weeks away, here are my power rankings...
8. Lily Langrind and Audrey Mckennitt
Having never taken con law puts you at a pretty steep disadvantage against an Elite Eight field that features 14 semesters of the class and at least 32 cases argued. These two juniors have a brutal hill to climb this Moot Court season, but Justices Fox and Davies should look forward to tossing them weird hypothetical questions for four full rounds next spring.
7. Jason Genova and Justin Moy
Genova (Genofun) and Moy are a tandem that nobody is talking about with two semesters of con law experience under their belts. Don’t be surprised if these sleepers shock the nation and knock off Boynton and Zinck in the second round. My only concern is where meme-god Genofun’s focus lies amidst the Clayton Straker frenzy.
6. Jake “Stick to Sports” Hamilton and Davis Van-Inwegen
This is a strong tandem with a lot of experience arguing cases together. Expect to see them in the semifinals, as they are strong favorites in the second round against our aforementioned juniors. Then, they will have the tall task of dismantling either Gill and Moore or the favorites out of the right bracket, Li and Shtiliyanova. A massive lapse in focus is the only thing that stands between them and a round two victory, as they seem to be heavily invested in CCHS Tuxes 2018. Will Jake Hamilton’s love of charity destroy his chances at winning a Moot Court Championship? Time will tell.
5. Chris Gill and Jackson Moore
This is a bit of a dark horse in the race to Moot Court immortality. Moore and Gill are an intriguing tandem that I (and many Moot Court fans and former Mooters) know nothing about. Their reputation precedes them as an incredibly diligent and hardworking duo that spends a ton of time getting pumped with knowledge in the learning commons. They speak slowly and confidently while remaining active and light on their feet. Will this be enough to slay the dragon and beat a highly-touted Li and Shitiliyanova duo?
4. Jakob Levin and Virginia Ryan
The only question that lies ahead of these two academic weapons is where their heads are at. Will my new co-worker Jakob Levin spend too much time crushing the sports (lifestyle) blog game to fully commit himself to his first love, Moot Court? Will Virginia Ryan be too busy hitting softballs 600 feet to advance past Goliath (Aiden Zinck) in the semifinals? It’s possible that these two will shoot up the rankings with an impressive win over our number three tandem.
3. Daisy Kielty and Nicole Walton
In the first round, Kielty and Walton were very impressive, sailing up my rankings with their ferocious and unapologetic legal writing. They spoke cold hard truths that were difficult for even our esteemed justices to find issue with. This is a dynamite tandem that has knocked the rust off and is ready to start stepping on the throats of its opponents.
2. Mariya Shtiliyanova and Matthew Li
When you talk about Moot Court, you begin and end every sentence with Matt Li and Mariya Shtiliyanova. They are the darlings of Moot Court, and have been since their names were picked out of the hat last February in preparation for first round cases. Their track record speaks for itself--a victory as Board in Brown v. Board to open up first round cases in con law--and if it doesn’t, Matt Li may just say it in that Man Li voice of his. He is sure to serenade the judges into a second round victory.
1. Tucker Boynton and Aidan Zinck
Do not get Aidan Zinck started. If I could tell my first semester junior self one thing, it would be to not ask Aidan’s team a question when he’s arguing a case. It’s a hole that you literally can’t dig yourself out of. You will know it’s over before you even finish asking the question. Aidan will sit up straight, take a glance down at a piece of paper that has nothing written on it, and push his glasses up. You will want to jump straight into a pool of fire. The only thing that can keep Aidan Zinck from joining the champions circle is Tucker Boynton talking too much. That being said, when asked to comment, Aidan did give Tucker an 8.5 out of 10 on his confidence scale.
留言