On February 9, Chief Justice John Roberts served as one of three judges for the final round of competition at the GW Law School’s 2005-2006 Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition. The competitors – Peter Farrell, Jason Gould, Dennis D’Angelo, and Chris Dougherty – and the writers of the fictitious case, David Belczyk and V. David Zvenyach, are all third-year students at the Law School. Farrell and Gould, arguing for the Petitioner, won the case, with Gould receiving honors for the Best Brief and as Best Oralist.

During the competition, attended by nearly 1,500 students, faculty, alumni, and guests, Justice Roberts interacted frequently with the competitors, posing several questions and acting a “hot bench,” according to Amanda Tyler, faculty supervisor and associate professor of law. Before announcing the decision, the Chief Justice congratulated the teams for the quality of their work, and praised the entire GW moot court organization for its skill in coordinating and executing the competition.