An intellectually rigorous 2024 Faust F. Rossi Moot Court Competition was held on February 10 in the MacDonald Moot Court Room, with Griffin Perrault ’25 emerging as the winner, and Jessica Kaden ’25 earning the runner-up position. The final round also included the Louis Kaiser Best Brief Competition, which Tom Rappleye ’25 won.

This year’s challenging case, United States v. Eppes, delved into the complexities of administrative law and the federal criminal sentencing process, specifically examining the deference courts may accord to the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s commentary on the Federal Sentencing Guidelines in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Kisor v. Wilkie. This moot court case was inspired by the real-life case of United States v. Dupree in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

The final round was adjudicated by an esteemed panel of judges:

• Toby J. Heytens, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
• Cathy Bissoon, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
• Anuraag H. Singhal, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
• Anne M. Patterson, J.D. ’83, New Jersey Supreme Court
• Margaret A. Chan, New York Supreme Court, Commercial Division, First Judicial District

“This year’s final round was an excellent showcase of the talent and hard work of Cornell Law students,” said Michael G. Demers ’24, chancellor of the Moot Court Board. “The final round judges uniformly told us how impressed they were with the two finalists, Jessica and Griffin.”

The Rossi Moot Court Competition continues to be a cornerstone event at Cornell Law School, fostering a tradition of excellence in legal advocacy and scholarship among its students.