Miller Wins Advocate of the Year Competition
Hon. Saundra B. Armstrong '77, Hon. James Richman '65, 2008 Advocate of the Year Nicholas Miller 3L, and Hon. Arthur Wick at the competition finals Oct. 24. Photo courtesy of Stephen Hew.
Oct. 31, 2008 -- Nicholas Miller 3L, the USF School of Law 2008 Advocate of the Year, argued with opponent Joseph Sutton 4L before an esteemed panel of judges during the competition finals Oct. 24. The intramural appellate advocacy competition is open to all upper division students who have successfully completed the spring moot court program; approximately 40 students participated in the competition.
"All of the participants showed an extraordinary level of preparation and commitment to the program, truly showcasing to the judges their commitment to advocacy," said Moot Court Board Advocacy Director Lailah Salem 3L.
This year's problem, a hypothetical appeal argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, concerned a Chinese immigrant who fled his country for fear of retribution after violating China's "one couple, one child" policy.
Petitioner Chan Kong Sang had been married to Mary Li, who was carrying his second child, though they were divorced after Sang discovered she was having an affair with another man. After Sang left China, family planning authorities forced Li to have an abortion. Representing the United States government, Miller argued that the petitioner is not entitled to asylum because he was not Li's spouse at the time of the abortion.
Two USF School of Law graduates participated in the final competition's panel of judges, including the Hon. James Richman '65, an associate justice for the First District Court of Appeal, Division Two, and the Hon. Saundra B. Armstrong '77, a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The third judge to sit on the panel was the Hon. Arthur Wick, who was appointed to the Sonoma County Superior Court in 2006. The judges were extremely impressed with the participants, said Stephen Hew 3L, managing director of USF's Moot Court Board.
Additional finalists in the 2008 Advocate of the Year Competition included Renee Hessling 3L and David Raynor 3L. Ashley Connell 2L won the Best Brief Award.
The student-run competition is administered by the Moot Court Board: Phillip Babich 3L, executive director; Stewart Kellar 3L, topics director; Jennifer Stanger 3L, topics director; and the aforementioned Salem and Hew.
