Duke Moot Court 2017

Tournament Essay Application

High School Tournament 2016-17: Case Prompt
Zoe Johnson is a sophomore at Thomas Jefferson High School, a public high school in
Mountainview, Olympus. She has no record of misconduct and makes average grades. Due to a
recent school shooting in nearby Cullensburg that left two students hospitalized, the
administration of Thomas Jefferson High School has increased the presence of its on-campus
security.
Zoe Johnson was identified as a potential risk to campus safety after a fellow student told
a teacher about a series of threatening and violent posts Zoe made on Facebook. In these posts,
Zoe expressed the desire to inflict bodily harm on specific teachers and pupils. Principal Joe
Conway contacted the police officer currently stationed on campus to investigate the threat.
Officer Ted Nigel then called Zoe into the principals office and had her turn in her phone.
The officer looked through the text messages on Zoes phone for evidence of a plot
against the school. While he did not find any evidence of a credible threat to the school, he found
some messages between Zoe and another student where they discussed the details of a drug deal
on school property. The school administration decided to search Zoes locker, with Officer Nigel
present. They found a bag of marijuana and a glass pipe in her purse inside her locker. Pursuant
to the schools Zero-Tolerance Policy, the administration met with Zoe and her parents, and Zoe
was suspended from school. The police then charged Zoe with possession of a controlled
substance and intent to distribute.
She is now protesting the charges placed against her by the officer that oversaw the
search of her possessions. The prosecutor intends to bring in the evidence found of drug usage
and distribution, and this is the cornerstone of the case against Zoe. However, she contends that
this evidence was obtained illegally in violation of her 4th Amendment protections against
unwarranted searches and seizures, and therefore should not be held against her in court.
In 500 words or fewer, evaluate the students claim using constitutional reasoning.
Applicants are free to compare the strengths and weaknesses of the claim from a neutral
standpoint or advocate for one side of the issue as they see fit. No preference or penalty will be
given based on the position you choose. In writing the essay, applicants may refer to the quotes
and the case from which they are cited in the Appendix, but should do not additional outside
research.

Duke Moot Court 2017

Tournament Essay Application
Appendix
4th Amendment of the United States Constitution
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon
probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be
searched, and the persons or things to beseized."
New Jersey v. TLO (1985)
Schoolchildren have legitimate expectations of privacy. They may find it necessary to carry
with them a variety of legitimate, noncontraband items, and there is no reason to conclude that
they have necessarily waived all rights to privacy in such items by bringing them onto school
grounds. But striking the balance between schoolchildren's legitimate expectations of privacy
and the school's equally legitimate need to maintain an environment in which learning can take
place requires some easing of the restrictions to which searches by public authorities are
ordinarily subject. Thus, school officials need not obtain a warrant before searching a student
who is under their authority.
School Information
Name: ___________________________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________________________
City: _______________________________ State: ________________________
Zip Code: ___________________________ Phone Number: ________________
st
1 Students Information
Name: ___________________________________________________________
Email: ___________________________________________________________
Phone Number: ____________________________________________________
2nd Students Information
Name: ___________________________________________________________
Email: ___________________________________________________________
Phone Number: ____________________________________________________
Advisers Information
Name: ___________________________________________________________
Email: ___________________________________________________________
Phone Number: ____________________________________________________
Honor Statement: I certify that the essay submitted is the work of the student team members
listed above. I agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the Duke Moot Court Tournament
and furthermore understand that failure to comply may result in disqualification.
Student 1__________________________________ Date_________________________
Student 2__________________________________ Date_________________________
Advisor___________________________________ Date_________________________

Duke Moot Court 2017

Tournament Essay Application
Rules and Regulations
Requirements
1. Each team of two students must enter only one essay.
2. The essay must be 500 words or fewer, excluding citations.
3. Citations must follow MLA format.
4. Use Times New Roman, 12-point, double-spaced text.
Submission Instructions
1. Please include the completed cover sheet (i.e., the previous page) and the essay
submission together in one PDF file titled
DMCTourneyApp_SchoolName_LastName1_LastName2, with LastName1 and
LastName2 referring to the first and second students last names, respectively.
2. Please email the final submission to dukemootcourt@gmail.com with the subject line
DMCTourneyApp_SchoolName_LastName1_LastName2. This is very important,
as submissions are accepted over a period of one month, and if your subject line
does not match this format, we may miss your application when we gather the
submissions for evaluation.
3. Homeschooled applicants should indicate Homeschool as their school name.
4. If you are unable to email your submission, please send in a physical copy to:
Jeffrey Ho
Box 97446
Room J106
104 Union Drive
Durham, NC 27708
Important Dates and Addresses
1. The cover sheet and essay must be received by 11:59 PM November 13th , 2016. We
strongly encourage students to submit their essays by email.
2. All contestants will be notified of their status and the tournament case prompt by
December 4th , 2016 at the latest.
3. Final payments are due by January 15th , 2017. The fee is $75 per team, and an
additional fee of $50 per team will be charged for late payment submissions.
4. Qualifying teams will be invited to the Duke Moot Court Tournament on February
25th 26th , 2017.
Contact Information
Please note the following important contacts:
President: Jeffrey Ho, jeffrey.ho@duke.edu, (general questions)
Tournament Chair: Michael Brunetti, michael.brunetti@duke.edu, (tournament
logistics)
Case Law Committee Chair: Cassandra Williams, cassandra.williams@duke.edu
(essay prompt questions)
Best of luck, and we look forward to reading your submissions soon!