LSU Law students Kyle Townsley and J. William VanDehei won the Fall 2017 Robert Lee Tullis Moot Court Competition on Nov. 1 at LSU Law.
Townsley and VanDehi successfully argued their case in the final round judged by Senior Judge James Brady, United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana; Elizabeth Murrill, Solicitor General for the Louisiana Department of Justice; and Corey Amundson, acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana.
Townsley and VanDehi, along with finalists Christopher Alderman and Danielle Kinchen, argued whether the domestic relations exception to federal jurisdiction apply in federal question cases and whether false reporting by the media of the private life of a limited purpose public figure — where the private life of the plaintiff has no connection to the purpose for which they are a public figure — is subject to the “actual malice” standard set forth in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan in 1964.
The teams of Brooke Delaune/Raechel Richards and Anna Reed/Mary Grace Richardson were seminfinalists in the Tullis Moot Court Competition. Delaune received first place Outstanding Oral Advocate, and Milton Hernandez and Daniel Price won Best Brief
Named in honor of the late Dean Emeritus of the LSU Law Center, the Robert Lee Tullis Competition has been a tradition of honor since 1936. The Tullis Competition provides opportunities for development of appellate advocacy skills for all second-year students.
Best Oral Advocate Finalists
- Brooke Delaune
- J. William VanDehei
- Anna Reed
- Mary Elizabeth Ingram
- Briana Falcon
- Zachary Miller
- Rachel Anderson
- Catherine Briley
- Mary Grace Richardson
- John Griffin
Best Brief Finalists
- Milton Hernandez and Daniel Price
- Danielle Kinchen and Christopher Alderman
- Ashley Delaune and Leah Voth
- J. William VanDehei and Kyle Townsley
- Brooke Delaune and Raechel Richards
