Ehsun Qama

A historic snow blizzard did not stop the Tulane Thurgood Marshall Appellate Team from winning the regional Southwest Region Black Law Student Association Moot Court Competition, sending them to the national championship in Atlanta in March, the fourth time in as many years that Tulane’s team has won the regional title.

Additionally, the BLSA Mock Trial team took second place in the same SWBLSA Conference in the Constance Baker Motley Trial Competition. They will also be traveling to Atlanta this March to compete at the national championship.

Tulane BLSA appellate teams have in recent years dominated the Thurgood Marshall competition, and this year was no different. Although Tulane fielded two teams in that competition, the duo of Daevon Adams and Robert Morrison III, both 2Ls, took the top spot after a scramble in the unusual snowy conditions to get flights to the regional championship against St. Mary Law at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas, Texas.

The second appellate team, comprised of 2Ls Camrynn Ponds and Jillian Jackson, did exceptionally well during the preliminary rounds as well, which were forced online due to the blizzard that blanketed most of the southeast last week.

Appellate team members drove through the icy roads to the airport and flew to Dallas on Thursday night and argued as petitioners in the case in front of a panel of judges including Hon. Irma Carrillo Ramirez of the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The team was coached by Head Coach August Simien and Assistant Coach Ehsun Qamar, both 3Ls.

“As coaches, Ehsun Qamar and I are proud of ALL our competitors and are excited to watch Daevon and Robert compete again at Nationals in March,” said Simien. “As an appellate discipline we truly believe in the legacy that has been cultivated by those who came before us, and we hope to leave even more for those who come after us.”

In addition to the appellate team, the BLSA Mock Trial team also faced setbacks due to the historically cold weather in the region, and the remainder of the competition was forced to be done virtually.

Two Tulane teams also took part in that competition. The 2L Trial Team of Alecia Hobdy, Vanessa Glomo, Sophia Kapoor, and Cassandra Fernandez de Aenlee, were regional finalists and placed fourth in the competition.  The 3L Trial Team battled it out in the championship round and came in second place, losing by just 5 points. Team members were 3Ls Katie Chong, Jenna Clayborn, Caroline Matkom and Bruce Carter.

On the trial team, two competitors were distinguished with Best Advocate Awards. 2L Sophia Kapoor and 3L Katie Chong, were acknowledged as exceptional prosecutors, in a case based on the murder of Tupak Shakur. Both teams were coached be Jenna Clayborn, who is the Tulane Moot Court BLSA Chair and Katie Chong, Tulane Moot Court Chief Justice.

 “It has been the privilege of my life to watch both of these teams grow and see so much success at regionals. The Southwest BLSA conference is a tough one, and everyone exceed the expectations I set for them,” said Clayborn. “In the midst of a blizzard, these competitors gave it their all, and I’m going to treasure the opportunity I’ve had to guide these teams toward creating a legacy of achievement in mock trial.”

Because of their finalist finish, the 3L Mock Trial team will also travel to Atlanta to get a shot at the national title. 

The BLSA Moot Court Appellate Team is once again the national champions of the Thurgood Marshall National Moot Court Competition, the third time in four years.

Tulane Law School’s BLSA team – comprised of second-year law students Daevon Adams and Robert Morrison III – took home the top prize at the 57th Annual NBLSA National  Conference and had earlier become the Southwest Regional BLSA champions, sending them to the national competition. This win solidifies Tulane Law’s legacy with the National Black Law Student Association where teams have successfully won the competition almost every year since 2022.

Adams and Morrison were coached by head coach August Simien and assistant coach Ehsun Qamar, both 3Ls.

“With this win, the Tulane BLSA Appellate program has asserted its dominance by winning the last four consecutive regional championships and three out of the last four national championships, solidifying us as having the best moot court program in the country,” said Simien.

Adams and Morrison argued a case that centered around whether the restriction of medical treatments for transgender minors violates parental rights under the Due Process Clause and their rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The championship round, held at the Richard B. Russel Federal Building and U.S. District Courthouse in downtown Atlanta, pitted Tulane Law against a team from New York University Law, and was heard by Federal Immigration Judge Winfield Murray, and attorneys Caambridge Horton and DeAngelo A. Levette (the author of the case packet).

“Daevon and Robert delivered a passionate and persuasive argument supported by an abundance of caselaw and cites to the record,” said Simien. “Although it seems as if winning is expected, I'd like to emphasize that this is no easy feat. We logged a tremendous number of hours perfecting our arguments and preparing for any questions that might be asked. The key was that we were more prepared than everyone else, and we were rewarded for our hard work and determination.”

The BLSA Moot Court Program, which formally merged with the Tulane Moot Court Program in 2020, has had extraordinary success. In the past five years, it has placed teams in the top rankings, including a clean sweep in 2022 where the Tulane national champs won the Appellate Competition, First Place overall, Best Brief, and Best Oralist titles.

Ehsun Qama is a Student Practitioner at Tulane Law’s Domestic Violence Clinic, committed to advocating for survivors and gaining hands-on legal experience.