Moot Court Competition
Where is the moot court competition?
CU Law School
What did the court in Mahanoy say about a public school's authority over off-campus student speech?
Schools have less authority over off-campus speech
What is the name of the school district in the moot court case?
Central Valley School District
What do you say before presenting your argument to the judge?
May it please the court, my name is _____, I am representing ___
How would each side argue this:
Did CVSD have authority to regulate Jordan's off-campus speech?
Jordan: NO
CVSD: YES
What day is the competition?
November 7
When did the court in Tinker say a school can restrict student speech?
Schools can restrict student speech that:
(a) substantially disrupts school operations
(b) that the school could reasonably forecast substantial disruption
(b) interferes with the rights of others
Who is the Petitioner and who is the Respondent in the moot court case?
Petitioner: Jordan Reyes
Respondent: Central Valley School District
Frame this fact persuasively for each side:
The images said, "This is satire."
Jordan: The images clearly said, "This is satire." The images are so ridiculous that no reasonable person would think they were real. (J.S. v. BMSD).
CVSD: Although the images said, "This is satire," multiple people thought the images were real. They used the likeness of the principal and the school board president.
How would each side argue this:
Was there a substantial disruption resulting from the images?
Jordan: NO
CVSD: YES
Who will we be competing against?
Students from other schools across the state
In which case, did the court say that a school can regulate off-campus speech involving serious bullying, harassment, impersonation, or threats directed at members of the school community?
Kutchinski
What was the name of the student organization Jordan is president of?
Students for Digital Rights
Frame this fact persuasively for each side:
Jordan used the names and likenesses of Principal Rivera and School Board President Janice Long.
Jordan: Although I used Principal Rivera and Janice Long's images and names, the images were clearly labeled as AI and satirical; they were not threatening or harassing, and clearly not real.
CVSD: Jordan used images and the names of Principal Rivera and Janice Long, directly targeting and impersonating these school community members.
How would each side argue this:
Were the images satire?
CVSD: NO
How long will your moot court argument be?
8 minutes
Which case ruled that a school can restrict off-campus speech that bears a "sufficient nexus" to the school?
Chen v. Albany Unified School District
What was the folder Jordan saved the images in called?
Frame this fact persuasively for each side:
Jordan Reyes created the images on her personal computer.
Jordan: Since it was created on her personal computer and posted to her personal Instagram, it was off campus speech, and the school does not have authority over it. (Mahanoy)
CVSD: Even though the images were created on her personal computer, Jordan saved the images to her school account, shared the folder with other student accounts, used the names and likenesses of school officials, and tagged the school in her public Instagram post, creating a sufficient nexus to the school. (Chen)
How would each side argue this:
Was this protected political speech?
Jordan: YES
CVSD: NO
How many people qualify for the national competition?
What rule did the Supreme Court decide in J.S. v. Blue Mountain School District?
School officials must identify facts showing material and substantial disruption to school or that they can reasonably forecast such disruption.
In which court did Jordan first sue the school district?
The District Court of New Arcadia
What is the most powerful quote from Tinker that was repeated in all of the videos we watched last week, and both sides should include in their oral argument?
Public school Students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."
How would each side argue this:
Were the images severe or targeted cyberbullying?
Jordan: NO
CVSD: YES