Ames Moot Court Competition 2026

The 2026 Ames Moot Court Competition Final Round took place on November 10 in Ames Courtroom at Harvard Law School. This year, the esteemed panel of judges featured: Honorable Ray Lohier, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Honorable Pamela Harris, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and;Honorable Gregory Katsas, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. This year's fictional case was P.G. Wodehouse, Petitioner, v. Alister MacKenzie, in his official capacity as Chief of Police for Ames City, Respondent: "Ames City bans carrying firearms in Fairview Park, during any “permitted event” at which more than 1,000 people may be present. Petitioner P.G. Wodehouse wishes to carry at permitted events for self-defense and for the defense of those around him, in violation of this law. "The Supreme Court has granted certiorari as to two questions: 1. Can Ames City ban firearms in the park at permitted events consistent with the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution? 2. In analyzing the government’s proposed justification for a law regulating arms-bearing conduct, should the court place more emphasis on the firearms regulations that existed at the time of the Second Amendment’s ratification in 1791 or the Fourteenth Amendment’s in 1868?" The competing teams: The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray Memorial Team – Respondent • Thomas Chang • David Colón • Alexander DiMeglio • Kathy Li, Oralist • Spencer Thieme, Oralist • Serena Zhou Meet the Team: https://youtu.be/NEw_EBncn14?si=ccu95gQ0kDYMq5j3 The Richard H. Fallon, Jr., Memorial Team – Petitioner The William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. Memorial Team (petitioner) • Demirkan Coker • Eric Krebs • Mira Kumar, Oralist • Leila Malak, Oralist • Ceylan Milor • Brennan Szabo Meet the Team: https://youtu.be/vqMf9-nfFds?si=De3yQVZaKg4M11tQ For full coverage of the 2026 competition, visit Harvard Law Today: https://hls.harvard.edu/today/ames-finalists-make-their-case-for-history/ Watch past Ames competitions here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2q2U2nTrWq0nkcMz1SdTVz-9aGbAwcCR Learn more about the Ames Moot Court Competition, including an extensive archive featuring photos and video of Final Round competitions from 1974-present, on the Harvard Law School website: https://hls.harvard.edu/ames-moot-court/ Read more about the Ames Moot Court Competition Final Round on the Board of Student Advisers website: https://orgs.law.harvard.edu/bsa/ames-competition/final-round/