In the final round of the 2025 Langfan Family Moot Court Competition, which took place on April 19 in the MacDonald Moot Court Room, Elliot King ’27, arguing for the respondent, defeated Shvethaa Jayakumar ’27, arguing for the petitioner, in the fictional case of McCloud v. United States. The case was inspired by the Fourth Circuit case United States v. Chatrie that looked at whether a geofence warrant is an unconstitutional search that violates the Fourth Amendment. A geofence warrant allows the government to access location tracking data through an individual’s phone company. McCloud, the criminal defendant, moved to suppress his location history which was uncovered by the geofence warrant.

The final round of the competition was arbitrated by an esteemed panel of federal judges:

• Hon. Richard C. Wesley ’74, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• Hon. Darrin P. Gayles, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
• Hon. Christy C. Wiegand ’00, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
• Hon. Jed Rakoff, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
• Hon. Terry Doughty, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

“The Langfan Family First Year Moot Court Competition is the biggest moot court competition of the year, and the arguments are always incredibly impressive,” said Whitney Dawson ’26, chancellor of the Moot Court Board. “I had the pleasure of judging both finalists in the preliminary rounds, and seeing their growth, and the growth of all the other competitors, throughout the competition was a highlight. This year’s competition was an incredible showcase of the talent in the first-year class.”

Two of the moot court judges participated in special events the day before they judged the final round. Judge Gayles took part in a panel discussion titled “Breaking Barriers: Black Judges Shaping the Future of Law.” Co-hosted by the Black Law Students Association and the Career Development office, the third annual event featured Gayles and three other federal judges discussing their experiences:

• Dana Douglas, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• Adrienne Nelson, U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon
• Benita Pearson, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

Later in the afternoon on April 18, Judge Richard Wesley ’74, who has hired numerous Cornell Law graduates as clerks over his career, took part in a panel discussion with three of his current law clerks: Gabrielle Kanter ’20, William Hayes, and Elise Coombs. Rafi Stern ’17, director of Judicial Clerkships, moderated the panel.