Touro Law Hosts National Competition

Touro Law Hosts Successful 12th Annual National Moot Court Competition in Law & Religion

Touro Law Center recently hosted the 12th Annual National Moot Court Competition in Law & Religion. This year’s event brought together twenty teams from across the country to grapple with complex constitutional questions at the intersection of faith and the law.

The competition centered on a fictional state law, "SB 5375," which required clergy members to break the traditional clergy-penitent privilege to report suspected child abuse disclosed during confession.

Competitors navigated a sophisticated legal landscape, arguing whether the law:
• Violated the Free Exercise Clause by targeting religious practices while maintaining other secular privileges.
• Violated the Establishment Clause by intruding upon internal church doctrine and governance.

The hypothetical legal journey saw the District Court initially ruling the law unconstitutional, a decision that was later reversed by the Eighteenth Circuit, which viewed the statute as a neutral child-protection measure. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually granted certiorari, leading to the intense oral arguments held on March 29th and 30th.

The Path to the Finals
After rigorous preliminary rounds, four standout teams advanced to the semi-finals:
• University of Cincinnati College of Law
• Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
• Regent University School of Law
• NYU Law

The final showdown took place between Regent University School of Law and NYU Law in the prestigious ceremonial courtroom of the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York. After a hard-fought round, Regent University School of Law was named the winner of this year's competition.

A Message from the Associate Dean Myra Berman
Reflecting on the event’s success, Associate Dean Myra Berman, who serves as faculty advisor for Moot Court along with Professor John Quinn, shared her pride in the student organizers:

"I am incredibly proud of our Moot Court Honors Board under the leadership of Samuel Briller, the 2026 Editor-in-Chief of the Moot Court Honor Society, for their dedication in hosting this premier national competition. Their hard work provides a vital platform for law students across the country to hone their advocacy skills on some of the most pressing issues of our time."