United States Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett presided over the Armand Arabian Advocacy Tournament at Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law on Friday, September 20, 2024.
Justice Barrett was joined on the final-round bench by Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton and Judge Joan L. Larsen, both of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
When giving tips to the students about oral argument, Justice Barrett said, “Lawyers shouldn’t think of the questions from the bench as interruptions. Instead, it’s a golden opportunity to see what the judges care about.”
For the final round of this year’s tournaments, second-year law student Isaac Zwerling and third-year law student Kylie Thornburg advanced legal arguments about the interplay between the Contract Clause of the United States Constitution and a federal civil rights statute. At the end of the competition, the three judges named Zwerling as the tournament's champion.
"The student advocates demonstrated all of the attributes that make Pepperdine law students exemplary: intelligence; hard work; professionalism; humility; a deep-seated love of the law; and, of course, outstanding oral advocacy,” said Paul Caron, the Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean of Pepperdine Caruso Law. “We are proud of their performances and grateful to our distinguished final-round bench for joining us during this flagship event.”
The competition was followed by the annual Freedom in Truth: Caruso School of Law Dinner on Saturday, September 21, 2024. Over 700 alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends throughout the Caruso School of Law community participated in the event at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. Justice Amy Coney Barrett was the featured speaker for the evening, in conversation with Dean Paul Caron and professors Babette Boliek and Trey Childress.
The Armand Arabian Advocacy Tournament is an annual moot court competition at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. It is named after the Honorable Armand M. Arabian, who served as an Associate Justice at the Supreme Court of California from 1990 until his retirement in 1996. He was well-known for his excellent legal opinions and support of stellar oral advocacy.
Pepperdine University is a private Christian university located 30 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles in Malibu, California. Rooted in the Christian tradition, Pepperdine is committed to both the relentless pursuit of truth through academic and scholarly excellence and to embodying Christian faith and values. With students at the heart of the educational enterprise, the University prepares approximately 10,300 scholars across its liberal arts school, Seaver College, and its four nationally recognized graduate schools for lives of purpose, service, and leadership.