NEWS RELEASE
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia will judge the final round of the West Virginia University College of Law’s annual George C. Baker Moot Court Competition on Wednesday, April 15, at the state Capitol in Charleston.
The competition will begin at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon in the Supreme Court Courtroom.
This year marks the 100th Baker Cup competition, which pits second-year law students against each other in fictitious appellate cases. The two finalists competing before the Court this year are Kelli Campbell of Huntington and Kaitlyn Nedrow of Morgantown.
“The Supreme Court is honored to host this milestone 100th Baker Cup competition in our courtroom at the state Capitol,” said Chief Justice C. Haley Bunn. “As a prior Baker Cup finalist during my time at the WVU College of Law, I know how personally valuable and enriching this experience will be for the students as they prepare to launch their legal careers. My colleagues and I look forward to presiding over this time-honored law school tradition and will enjoy seeing our next generation of legal minds in action.”
“For 100 years, the Baker Cup has helped WVU Law students sharpen their skills through friendly competition and rigorous experiential learning,” said Susan Brewer, interim dean of the WVU College of Law. “The cases might be fictitious, but the participation of West Virginia’s Supreme Court makes this a very real taste of high-stakes appellate litigation. We’re thrilled to celebrate a century of the Baker Cup and are especially grateful to the Supreme Court of Appeals for the time and focus they dedicate to our student body.”
The annual competition is open to all second-year law students, who are given a fictional court case and must write an appellate brief and present oral arguments on both sides of the issue. The two finalists then argue the case before the Supreme Court, with the justices adjudicating the appellate advocacy skills of the two students.
This year’s case involves a fictional federal statute that would compel a city to share immigration information with the federal government. The city challenges the statute on constitutional grounds, involving the 10th Amendment and limits on Congressional spending powers.
The winner of Wednesday’s finalist competition will have their name engraved on the prestigious Baker Cup trophy, named after prominent West Virginia citizen and jurist George C. Baker (1862-1943).
The competition is a program of the student Moot Court Board at the WVU College of Law. The cup was first awarded in 1926 and 1927 to the Poffenbarger Club.
The event will be live streamed on the Supreme Court’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wvsupremecourt.
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