Environmental Moot Court Team Wins National 2022 Title
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Three law students aced the challenging interschool advocacy moot court competition this year. Students Haley Nicholson ’22, Kassie Kometani ’22, and Matt Campa ’22, coached by Professor Craig Johnston, were named national champions of the 2022 Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC). Haley Nicholson was honored as the best oralist of the entire competition. Video of the final arguments was posted on YouTube. Professor Johnston remarked, “All three of our advocates were awesome at every step of the way. Each of them wound up arguing twice in the advanced rounds: Matt and Kassie in the quarterfinals, where we defeated the University of Washington and Loyola; Matt and Haley in the semifinals, where we triumphed over the University of Pennsylvania and Baylor; and Haley and Kassie in the finals, where we emerged victorious over Duke and Stetson.”
Fellow professors praised the students and coach Johnston. Professor Susan Mandiberg said of the students, “Their argument in the final round was orders of magnitude better than many I’ve seen at the Ninth Circuit.” Each year, the team puts in extraordinary hours to achieve mastery of the subject and law with up to 30 or more practice rounds.
The national competition, held annually, is the largest interschool moot court competition, with more than 200 competitors and 150 attorneys participating in grading briefs and serving as judges for the three-day event. The competition is distinctive in that three adverse teams argue the issues, reflecting the fact that environmental litigation frequently involves multiple parties—the government, a public interest group, and a member of the regulated industry.
Lewis & Clark Law School Teams’ Past Successes at the National Competition:
Champions:
- 1994: Jenifer Johnston, Nancy Perry, and Scott Shapiro
- 1995: Leah Christensen, Jenifer Johnston, and Nancy Perry
- 2002: Allison LaPlante, Tanya Sanerib, and Tyson Smith
- 2004: Dave Jones-Landry, Isa Lester, and Kristin Ruether
- 2008: Bethany Cotton, Liz Crosson, and Diana Federoff
- 2009: Tarah Heinzen, Erica Maharg, and Lizzy Zultoski
- 2010: John Krallman, Ben Luckett, and Lizzy Zultoski
- 2022 : Matt Campa, Kassie Kometani, and Haley Nicholson
Finalists (top 3):
- 1992: Mike Halloran, Stephanie Parent, and Vickie Thimmesch
- 1997: Paul Conable, Ken Larish, and Julie Weis
- 1998: Chris Panoff, K.C. Schefski, and Peter Scott
- 2001: Melissa Powers, Allison LaPlante, and Tanya Sanerib
- 2007: Dan Mensher, Jamie Saul, and Ellen Trescott
- 2011: Ellie Dawson, John Krallman, and Marla Nelson
- 2012: Marla Nelson, Meredith Price, and Daniel Timmons
- 2013: Andy Erickson, Maggie Hall, and Meredith Price
Semifinalists (top 9):
- 1993: Scott Ames, Edie Matulka, and Sam Rauch
- 1996: Ken Larish, Dana Messenger, and Julie Weis
- 2006: Dawn Dickman, Dan Mensher, and Tami Santelli
- 2014: Laura Kerr, Daniel Rottenberg, and Ben Saver
- 2015: Daniel Rottenberg, Jake Duginski, and Stephanie Grant
- 2016: Josh Fortenbery, Cameron Jimmo, and Kathryn Roberts
- 2017: Kathryn Roberts, Amy Saack, and Rachel Briggs
- 2021: Michael Benjamin Smith, Alex Houston, and Haley Nicholson
Quarterfinalists at Pace (top 27):
- 1999: Wendi Hammond, Mike Newhouse, and K.C. Schefski
- 2000: Wendi Hammond, Mike Newhouse, and Melissa Powers
- 2003: Lance Clark, Chris Len, and Tyson Smith
- 2018: Rachel Briggs, Andrew Futerman, and Kacy Manahan
- 2019: Rachel Blackburn, Sangye Ince-Johannsen, and Ben Scissors
