League Policies
In contrast with judge protocols for other NCFCA events, Moot Court judges are encouraged to go beyond listening and evaluating. They play the role of Supreme Court Justices and are allowed and encouraged to interrupt the speakers to ask them questions about their arguments or positions. Judges may begin asking questions at any point after the first 60 seconds of a speech and may interrupt at any point during the rebuttal. The competitor’s time does not stop during questions or responses. In addition to being judged on their arguments and presentation, competitors are also judged on the substance, poise, and delivery of their answers to questions from the judges.
Judges are not required to ask questions of the competitors, and some judges and panels will be “cold” (meaning there are few questions) while other panels are “hot” (meaning the judges pepper the students with numerous questions). Students, therefore, should be prepared to speak for the entirety of their time, but should also be prepared to deviate from planned remarks to address questions from the judges.
To facilitate judges questioning the students, the judges will be provided a “bench brief.” The bench brief functions as an overview for the Moot Court topic, briefly outlining the major arguments for and against each side of both issues. All judges should plan for an appropriate amount of time to review the material prior to judging.
NCFCA is committed to supporting competitors and their families in an effort to recruit as many legal professionals, law students, and experienced collegiate Moot Court competitors as possible to serve as Moot Court judges. However, most tournaments will also require parent judges to prepare in advance to serve as judges.