Southern Illinois University School of Law Moot Court Board and Alumni

08/21/2026

07/17/2026

This summer, rising 3L Jenna Zumbahlen is working at Law Group, Ltd. in Effingham, Illinois, through the Illinois State Bar Association's Rural Practice Fellowship Program. She has been primarily working in the areas of family law, estate planning, and probate administration. Her work includes conducting legal research, assisting with a variety of estate administration matters, and observing court proceedings and client meetings.

She has had the opportunity to work with several SIU Law alumni, including Pamela Apke ('99), Troy Payne ('00), Ariana Thurnau ('14), Kyle Boose ('16), Brittany Meeker ('14), and Karson Pruemer ('23).

06/18/2026

Registration for 35th National Health Law Moot court competition now open!

https://law.siu.edu/programs/moot-court/health-law-competition.php

06/06/2026

We are excited to introduce the SIU Moot Court 2026-2027 officers! Can’t wait to see what this team has in store for the program this year!

https://law.siu.edu/programs/moot-court/

06/06/2026

We are thrilled to announce the dates for the 2026 National Health Law Moot Court Competition at SIU Simmons Law School. Please email [email protected] or check out our website for more information!

https://law.siu.edu/programs/moot-court/health-law-competition.php

06/06/2026

Celebrating another incredible year of Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School Moot Court.

This week, our members, coaches, and supporters came together to celebrate a year of hard work, competition, and unforgettable memories. From long nights preparing briefs to weekends on the road competing, this team accomplished so much together.

We also had the chance to recognize and congratulate our graduating 3Ls as they begin their next chapter. We want to thank all of our graduating members-Reagan Honn, Daniel Draves, Kathan Watson, Noah Herndon, Stephen Ibarra, Cecilia Thomas, Emily Briney, Andrew Cristea, J. Patrick King, and Ben Calcaterra-for the leadership, mentorship, and dedication they brought to this program. A special thank you and farewell to our Chief Justice Reagan Honn and Associate Justice Daniel Draves for their outstanding service and the lasting impact they have made on siu Moot Court.

Finally, we want to extend a sincere thank you to Chris Sielaff for all of his time, leadership, and commitment as director this year. We are grateful for everything you have done for our team.
Here's to a great year-and an even brighter future ahead.

06/06/2026

In March, the SIU Moot Court sent two teams to Howard University's Bryant Moore Civil Rights Moot Court Competition. This years problem focused on birthright citizenship and sanctuary city policies. The teams had a great time getting to argue at Howard and explore the Nation's capitol!

06/06/2026

The SIU Simmons Law School Moot Court Board was proud to have members compete this spring in the Gender and Sexuality Moot Court Competition, hosted virtually by Michigan State University College of Law.

This unique competition challenges students to brief and argue important appellate issues involving sexuality, gender, and the law while competing against teams from law schools across the country via Zoom.

Representing Simmons Law this year were 2Ls Jarrick Honn, Brianna Eigenbauer, and Jha'shaira Farmer, and 3L Daniel Draves. The team was coached by Catherine Robilio. We are proud of their hard work, advocacy, and dedication in representing our program so well. 👏

06/06/2026

In February, two teams traveled to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras Moot Court Invitational hosted by Tulane University Law School. This year's problem focused on the overlap between the rapidly evolving NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) markets for college players, the NCAA's 5-year eligibility rule, and the Sherman Antitrust Act. Competitors represented either the NCAA or a fictional college quarterback named William Spears, arguing whether the NCAA's inclusion of Junior Colleges in their 5-year eligibility rule constituted a violation of the Sherman Act.

The teams argued their preliminary rounds in the federal courthouse for the Eastern District of Louisiana, competing against 27 other schools for a chance to argue in the elimination rounds at Tulane's Law School.

The team of Emily Briney (3L), Darian Morgan (2L), and Benjamin Calcaterra (2L) had one of the toughest draws for preliminary rounds that is possible. Emily, Darian, and Ben wound up arguing their 3 preliminary rounds against the teams that would ultimately place 1st, 2na, and 3rd overall in the competition. The 3rd overall team also had the 1st place brief.

Despite this incredibly difficult matchup, Emily, Darian, and Ben competed like true champions!
The team of Jacob Leonard (2L), Sydney Packard (2L), and Andrew Cristea (3L), took 4th place overall in the competition.

Despite being eliminated at the semifinal round, Jacob, Sydney, and Andrew argued incredibly well in their final round - so much so, in fact, that the 4 judges announced during feedback that the score was tied at 2-2 and ultimately broken by a very close total oralist score. The team that moved on from that round ultimately won the competition, as well as 1st-and 3rd-place oralists.

We are incredibly proud of both teams. They worked incredibly hard in the lead-up to the competition and represented SIU Simmons with poise and class. The judges universally remarked that our teams were incredibly respectful and composed, and that they had a remarkable grasp of the problem and the law involved. We have two more competitions coming up this year, and we cannot wait to see the continued success of our Board members!

06/06/2026

In January, Simmons Law School hit the road on tour to Cleveland State University College of Law for the inaugural Rock and Roll Moot Court Festival-billed as the nation's only moot court competition devoted entirely to the music industry. In true Rock-and-Roll spirit, the teams took the stage and cranked up the volume on issues related to the Federal Tort Claims Act and fair use in copyright law.

SIU came ready to ROCK-the only school to advance two teams into the final rounds: one to the grand final and another to the semi-final, bringing back to Carbondale some "record" setting hardware (no pun intended). Shoutout to 3L Kathan Watson, who also took home gold in the category, Best Oralist (Respondents).

Earning the #1 seed in the preliminary rounds and finishing Runner-Up overall, one SIU team, "Fleetwood Facts," consisted of 3L Kathan Watson, 2L Olivia Miller, and 2L Jenna Zumbahlen. "Motley Sue," SIU's other team—consisting of 2L Jaylyn Bower, 3L Noah Herndon, and 3L JP King-made it to the semi-final round and earned the #5 seed following the preliminary rounds. Both teams were coached by Prof. Joshua Bradley.

Huge thanks to Cleveland State University College of Law, the producers over at the Rock and Roll Moot Court Festival, and Cleveland's own Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for hosting us.

Additionally, we would like to thank everyone back home in Carbondale who helped make this a success.