Doug Helman L’16 and Danielle McCall L’16 were named the winners of this year’s Edwin R. Keedy Cup, the Law School’s internal moot court competition, tying for Best Oralist. Peter Mardian L’16 and Markus Brazill L’16 tied for second-place for Best Oralist, in what the judges called a very close competition overall, featuring outstanding performances by all of the competitors. In addition, Mardian and McCall won Best Brief.
The four finalists argued Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, a pending Supreme Court case about whether the “fair share” requirement — mandating that public-sector workers in unionized jobs, though not part of their union, must still pay their share of union dues — violates the First Amendment. Mardian and McCall argued for the petitioner; Helman and Brazill argued for the respondent.
The Keedy judges for this year were the Honorable Judge Ripple of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the Honorable Patricia A. Millett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and the Honorable David Jeremiah Barron of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Mardian was raised in Phoenix, Arizona and graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in Economics and Finance in 2013. He is a senior editor for the Journal of Constitutional Law and a member of the Supreme Court Clinic. Upon graduation, Mardian will join the New York office of Sidley Austin LLP.
McCall was raised in New Jersey and graduated summa cum laude in 2013 with a B.A. in Psychology from the Honors College of Rutgers University, where she was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Before law school, she interned at the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, an experience that cultivated her passion for oral advocacy. McCall is a development editor on the Journal of Constitutional Law and serves as the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Chair for the Penn Law chapter of the Black Law Students Association. Upon graduation, she will join the Philadelphia office of Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP.
Also from New Jersey, Helman graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University in 2011. After a brief stint as a professional musical theater actor, he was a paralegal in Washington, D.C. before beginning law school. At Penn Law, he is a senior editor on the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, a member of the Criminal Defense Clinic, and is co-directing and starring in the Law School Light Opera Company’s upcoming production of The Wedding Singer. Upon graduation, Helman will serve as a law clerk to the Honorable Anita Brody of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Honorable Cheryl Krause of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He then plans to join the D.C. office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and, eventually, to pursue a career as a federal prosecutor.
Brazill was raised in San Marino, California and graduated magna cum laude from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Before law school, he worked as an analyst for a large consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Brazill currently serves as an articles editor for the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and is a member of the Supreme Court Clinic. Upon graduation, Markus will serve as a law clerk to the Honorable Josephine L. Staton of the United States District Court for the Central District of California and then plans to join the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.
Selected tweets from this event:
Today’s the day! The 2016 #KeedyCup is tonight. ߏ栄etails: https://t.co/LppdRPYICa pic.twitter.com/yo94ZAVRSX
— Penn Law (@PennLaw) January 28, 2016
Want a quick primer on tonight’s #KeedyCup case? We have you covered on Friedrichs v. CTA: https://t.co/nMfJ3bziPB
— Penn Law (@PennLaw) January 28, 2016
Our very own Danielle McCall is competing in the law school’s most prestigious moot court competition https://t.co/dYP2CgqASR
— Penn Law BLSA (@PennBLSA) January 28, 2016
She is one of the few black contestants in Penn Law history to place as a finalist #KeedyCup
— Esther Danielle (@Esther_Danielle) January 28, 2016
The bench is hot! The Honorable Patricia A. Millet has asked the 1st question regarding what cases have criticized Abood v. Detroit Bd Of Ed
— Esther Danielle (@Esther_Danielle) January 28, 2016
“What is intolerable about the opt-out practice is that individuals have to opt-out in the first place.” -@daniESQUIRE #KeedyCup
— Esther Danielle (@Esther_Danielle) January 28, 2016
“What was quite striking about both briefs was how direct and organized they were… It was writing that was beautiful.” #KeedyCup2016
— Esther Danielle (@Esther_Danielle) January 28, 2016
“All of you recognized that there were weakness in your arguments, and instead of hiding from them, you directly engaged with them.” #Keedy
— Esther Danielle (@Esther_Danielle) January 28, 2016
“It was indeed what an oral argument should be, and that is a conversation between professionals.” #KeedyCup2016
— Esther Danielle (@Esther_Danielle) January 28, 2016
“Today, I came and I saw why my brother has fallen in love with [@PennLaw ]” #KeedyCup2016
— Esther Danielle (@Esther_Danielle) January 28, 2016
Dean Ruger is giving his closing remarks #KeedyCup2016
— Esther Danielle (@Esther_Danielle) January 28, 2016
Joke of the Day from Dean Ruger:” My moot court partner said ‘I met this really nice guy who’s soft spoken and sensitive and great’ …
— Esther Danielle (@Esther_Danielle) January 28, 2016
…and I said, ‘You’re not talking about Ted Cruz, are you?” -Dean Ruger #LOL #Jokes #KeedyCup2016
— Esther Danielle (@Esther_Danielle) January 28, 2016