Colorado Law Students Earn Moot Court Win
Over the weekend of February 25, 2012, Colorado Law sent two teams to the 20th Annual National Native American Law Students Association moot court competition at the University of Hawaii. The CU teams were Mitch Sikon and Kelsey Sargent, Jocelyn Jenks and Jacquelyn Jampolsky. Law schools from around the country send 62 teams to the competition. Jocelyn and JJ were one of 16 teams to advance into the quarter final rounds and won FIRST place for Best Brief! They were honored with beautiful hand-carved wooden native bowls. Not surprisingly, the University of Hawaii won every category except for Best Brief.
The problem involved unique issues facing indigenous Hawaiians. Although Hawaii has a large and proud tribal tradition often called the Kanaka Maoli, descendants of the early Polynesians who arrived in these islands 1500-2000 years ago, Hawaii has no federally recognized indigenous tribes. The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, introduced in the U.S. House and Senate over the past several years, seeks to remedy this lack of federal tribal recognition.
Congratulations to Jocelyn, JJ and all the Colorado Law competitors.