GMU Law Rules!

A talented pair of third-year students from George Mason University School of Law beat out 34 other law schools at the First Amendment Moot Court Competition at Vanderbilt University Law School last weekend. I was privileged to be one of the judges in early stages of the competition (my earlier posts from Nashville are here and here.) By happenstance, I judged the winning pair — Samantha Mortlock and Al Clarke — before they headed into the final rounds. At the time, of course, I had no idea which school they were from — judges are kept in the dark to promote impartiality — but now that it’s over and I found out they are locals, I thought I’d tell you a little about them.

Mortlock is from Kansas, and worked for a time as a political campaign consultant. Now she’s executive editor of the GMU law review, where she has a comment on a delicious First Amendment hypothetical: what would TV station do if a political candidate used indecent material in a proposed campaign ad? Broadcasters usually keeps hands off campaign ad content, but the FCC does not look kindly on indecency. Mortlock is headed for a clerkship with 9^th Circuit judge Carlos Bea after graduation. Clarke has not nailed down plans after graduation, but aims to be a litigator in a small or medium firm. He’s from D.C. and worked as an account executive at a drug company before taking the law school plunge. They're both terrific oral advocates already.

One other note: In response to an earlier post about the competition, an anonymous emailer, apparently from a losing team in the competition, posted a comment raising issues about how it is run. The post, and my response, are on view, and others, including representatives of the moot court board, are invited to join in the discussion.