CSLR Teams Compete in International and Domestic Law and Religion Moot Court Competitions

Caption: 2025 Law and Religion Moot Court team (L-R: Jacopo Caparelli (2L), Ivan Daquial (3L), Eshika Talukder (2L), Heaven Begum (3L), Kalsang Dolma (3L), Whittney Barth (advisor)) taken on the terrace of the Notre Dame Rome property not far from the Colosseum.  

In March, two teams from Emory Law School competed in the International Law and Religion Moot Court Competition in Rome. Members include 2Ls Eshika Talukder and Jacopo Capparelli and 3Ls Ivan Kristhiane Guzman Daquial, Kalsang Dolma, and Heaven Begum. Talukder and Capparelli competed in the European Court of Human Rights portion of the competition. Daquial and Dolma competed in the written and oral Supreme Court of the United States portion of the competition and Begum assisted with both portions of the competition. Caparelli received the Best Oralist for his oral argument. The case involved a religious community’s challenge to a fictional government’s plan to lease land the community used for its annual ritual to a private mining company.  

“I will never forget the thrill of being interrogated by a judge about doctrinal issues I had just learned in class at Emory Law,” said Daquial. “While it was nerve-wracking to present before top-notch law students and scholars worldwide, I appreciated the competition's culture of empowerment and camaraderie!"

Two weeks later, Emory Law students Madison LeRoy (second year JD/MDiv) and Andrew Hull (3L) competed in the Law and Religion Moot Court competition at Touro Law Center in Central Islip, NY. The case involved a challenge by religious parents to a school district's integration of LGBTQ-friendly instructional materials into the English Language Arts curriculum without providing a notice and opt-out option to families.

Emory Law last sent a team to the international competition in 2016. This year, the teams’ participation  was made possible by a generous gift from Mr. Brent Savage, an Emory Law alum and founding partner of the law firm Savage, Turner, Pinkney, Savage, and Sprouse in Savannah, Georgia. 

 “We are grateful to Mr. Savage for the opportunity to reboot our Law and Religion Moot Court program and proud of our students who gained valuable written and oral advocacy experience through the program,” said Whittney Barth, CSLR Executive Director and the teams’ coach.    

During an awards ceremony on April 4, the Center recognized the Law and Religion Moot Court teams and graduating students who have been involved in other law and religion-related activities while at Emory Law. Congratulations to our wonderful teams!