Volunteers Needed
Judges Needed for First-Year Oral Arguments
We are seeking volunteers to serve as judges for the 1L appellate advocacy oral arguments from April 6–17, 2009, in Boulder and Denver, which last 1.5 hours each (detailed schedule below). Constitutional law expertise is not required to be a judge – we provide judges with a bench memo and the students' briefs. If you are interested, please contact Kristen Vannoy at Kristen.Vannoy@colorado.edu or 303-492-1057 with your available time(s). Please pass this request to others in the law community who might be interested in volunteering.
Every spring, first-year Colorado Law students in the appellate advocacy course research and write an appellate brief and argue the case in front of three-person panels of judges and practitioners. It's the first time many law students put on a suit and act like "real lawyers" and they take the process very seriously. It's a great chance to meet and interact with the students and other alumni volunteering.
Appellate Issue
This year, the question focuses on the free speech rights of high school students on school grounds. The appellants, two high school students, created a T-shirt regarding a referendum that sought to lower the legal drinking age in the state from 21 to 18. The T-shirt featured the slogan “I’m 18. I can vote. I can marry. I can pay taxes. I can go to jail. I can fight in war. NOW GIMME MY BEER!!!” During the school day, the principal, who saw the shirt’s message as advocating underage drinking, demanded that the student remove the shirt, which he did. A few days later, in an effort to support that student, the school’s Senior Men’s Club used the same design for its official T-shirt for that school year. And when the club’s president wore the shirt to an all-school assembly to unveil it for the student body, he was suspended. There are two issues on appeal:
- Did the school district violate the student’s First Amendment right to free speech when it prohibited him from wearing the T-shirt at school?
- Did the school district violate the club president’s First Amendment right to free speech when it prohibited him from wearing the T-shirt at the school assembly?
Oral Argument Schedule
Monday, April 6, 3:30pm, CU-Boulder Fleming Law Building Courtroom (Canner)
Monday, April 6, 4:00pm & 6:00pm, CU-Boulder Wolf Law Building Courtroom (T. Stafford)
Tuesday, April 7, 5:00pm & 7:00pm, CU-Boulder Wolf Law Building Courtroom (G. Stafford)
Wednesday, April 8, 12:45pm & 2:45pm, Denver U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (DuBois, Mack, G. Stafford, T. Stafford)
Wednesday, April 8, 4:30pm, CU-Boulder Wolf Law Building Courtroom (Kiernan-Johnson)
Friday, April 10, 11:00am, 12:45pm & 2:45pm, Denver U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (Canner, DuBois, G. Stafford, T. Stafford)
Friday, April 10, 2:30pm, Denver Colorado Court of Appeals (Mack)
Tuesday, April 14, 2:45pm & 4:45pm, CU-Boulder Wolf Law Building Courtroom (Kiernan-Johnson)
Wednesday, April 15, 12:45pm & 2:45pm, CU-Boulder Wolf Law Building Courtroom (Kiernan-Johnson)
Wednesday, April 15, 12:45pm & 2:45pm, Denver U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (Canner, DuBois, Mack)
Friday, April 17, 12:00pm, CU-Boulder Fleming Law Building Courtroom (DuBois)
Friday, April 17, 12:45pm & 2:45pm, CU-Boulder Wolf Law Building Courtroom (Kiernan-Johnson)
Friday, April 17, 12:45pm & 2:45pm, Denver U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (Mack)
Thank you for volunteering!
