Supreme Court Hosts High School Moot Court Competition

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Saipan, CNMI – The Supreme Court will host the annual High School Moot Court Competition on December 4–5, 2025, at the Guma’ Hustisia on Saipan.

This year, over fifteen teams prepared written briefs on a mock First Amendment case exploring the scope of student free speech rights. Acting as attorneys, the students will present their arguments before volunteer justices in simulated appellate proceedings.

The competition schedule is:

Preliminary Rounds – 8 :30 am - 4 pm., Thursday, December 4, 2025Each team will compete in at least two rounds. The total scores will determine advancement.

Semi-Finals –8:30 am - 10:30 am, Friday, December 5, 2025The top teams will face off in elimination rounds.

Final Round –11:00 am, Friday, December 5, 2025The championship round will be livestreamed on Facebook via the NMI Judiciary’s website.

In preparation for the competition, students developed their legal skills through multiple workshops with the Supreme Court. On December 1st, their teacher and attorney coaches attended an orientation to prepare for the competition while the volunteer justices attended their orientation on December 2nd to help ensure uniformity of scoring and readiness for the competition.

The Moot Court Competition provides students with a unique opportunity to experience the appellate process firsthand and to develop critical thinking and public speaking skills. The champions will advance to the regional moot court competition held at Georgetown University in March 2026.

The competition is sponsored by PSS Federal Programs Office and the Northern Marianas Judiciary Historical Society, with assistance from CNMI Bar Association members.

2025-PR-025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 3, 2025

This press release has been prepared by court staff for the convenience of the public. For further information, contact the Supreme Court at Supreme.Court@NMIJudiciary.gov