On February 7 in the MacDonald Moot Court Room, Paxton Trevett ’27 emerged victorious over runner-up Giovan Soares ’26 in the final round of the 2026 Faust F. Rossi Moot Court Competition after arguing a complex constitutional question. Trevett, arguing for the respondent, and runner-up Soares ’26, arguing for the petitioner, had squared off in the fictional case of DeJean v. United States, which considered whether an attorney violates a defendant’s Sixth Amendment rights by conceding elements of the charged crime over the defendant’s express objection.

“This was such a rewarding experience. I am so grateful that I got the chance to engage with the problem and learn from so many talented competitors,” said Trevett.

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

• The Honorable Arianna Freeman, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• The Honorable Brenda K. Sannes, Chief U.S. District Judge
• The Honorable Elizabeth Coombe, United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
• The Honorable Mark Pedersen,United States District Court for the Western District of New York

The winner of the Louis Kaiser Best Brief Competition was Elliot King ’27.

“The Faust F. Rossi Moot Court Competition is the most competitive tournament of the year, and the case competitors argued this year was challenging. It was so impressive to see the two finalists’ growth after having judged them in previous competitions. It’s clear that they both put so much effort into their arguments, and it has paid off,” said Whitney Dawson ’26, Moot Court Chancellor.

Cornell Law’s next moot court competition is the 2026 Langfan Family First-Year Moot Court Competition on April 18, 2026. Find more information on that event, here: https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/academics/experiential-learning/moot-court-program/.