Kevin Cole - University of San Diego

2006 Paul A. McLennon, Sr. Honors Moot Court Competition
Wood, Burns and Huffman Serve as Judges for USD’s Most Prestigious Intramural Moot Court Competition
n March 3, Katherine Payerle
and Kirsten Widner got the
O chance to hone their advocacy
skills in front of an imposing
panel of three judges in the final round
of the 2006 Paul A. McLennon, Sr.,
Honors Moot Court Competition.
Held at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for
Peace & Justice on the USD campus,
this year’s competition drew more participants
than ever. More than 200
members of the bar were needed to
assist with the competition.
The Honorable Diane P. Wood
of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Seventh Circuit presided over a panel
that included U.S. District Court
Judge Larry Alan Burns of the
Southern District of California and
Justice Richard Huffman of the Fourth
U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Visits School of Law
ustice Antonin Scalia will be visiting the University
of San Diego School of Law as Distinguished
J
Jurist-in-Residence in fall 2006. Be sure to visit
www.law.sandiego.edu for details.
District Court of Appeal for the State
of California, who is also an adjunct
faculty member of the University
of San Diego School of Law.
The case, Chaker v. Crogan, addresses
whether or not California Penal
Code section 148.6 violates the First
Amendment. Convicted for filing a
knowingly false complaint of peace
officer misconduct in violation of
section 148.6, Chaker filed a habeas
corpus petition in federal court challenging
the constitutionality of section
148.6. He argued that section 148.6
violates the First Amendment because
it only punishes lies that are critical
of the government.
In the final round, Widner represented
the state of California and
Payerle represented the petitioner.
campus briefs
After deliberation, the panel ruled in
favor of the petitioner and went on to
praise both finalists. “In the real world
this is precisely the experience you
will have. The two of you are welcome
anytime in our courts,” said Judge
Wood. “I want to compliment you on
how nimble you were. Both of you
listened very carefully and worked to
answer questions.”
Established through the generosity of
USD law Professor Michael Devitt and
his family in honor of longtime family
friend, attorney and naval aviator Paul
A. McLennon, Sr., the McLennon
Honors Moot Court Competition provides
an opportunity for students to develop
their brief writing and advocacy
skills and to test these skills in an open,
rigorous competition.
ADVOCATE USD LAW / 23:1 ❖ 3