CEDARVILLE — While only in its second year of existence, Cedarville University’s moot court team is already seeing considerable success. Two students from this year’s team have qualified for the national competition, taking place Jan. 19-20 at the University of Texas.

Abby Barnes, a senior pre-law major from Michigan, and Levi Gross, a junior political science major from Pennsylvania, qualified for the national competition through a qualifying competition in Akron in November.

For moot court, students receive a hypothetical court case and spend the semester working through real case law related to it, putting statements together and preparing to defend their arguments. At competition they work in two-person teams, acting like lawyers in front of the Supreme Court advocating for a certain position.

“Having a knowledge of the case law is really good, so that’s been very helpful,” Barnes said. “And I think it’s always good to practice public speaking, especially in this kind of field.”

The eight students on Cedarville’s moot court team are coached by faculty advisor Robert Vaughn, associate professor of criminal justice. They meet weekly during the semester to study case law, prepare their statements and practice arguing their positions.

“Moot Court has made me a much sharper orator and debater,” Gross said. “It also helps with problem solving and thinking on your feet. These skills can be useful for anyone.”