DePaul University College of Law and the Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation is pleased to announce their Fourth Annual National Cultural Heritage Law Moot Court Competition! Registration will open on August 27, 2012, and the oral arguments for the 2013 competition will be held on February 22nd and 23rd at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. More detailed information is contained in the Rules of the Competition.
Cultural heritage law deals with our most prized possessions and often spans beyond national borders, and, inevitably, has become the subject of often contentious legal debates and policies. This dynamic and growing legal field deals with the issues that arise as our society comes to appreciate the important symbolic, historical and emotional role that cultural heritage plays in our lives. It encompasses several disparate areas: protection of archaeological sites; preservation of historic structures and the built environment; preservation of and respect for both the tangible and intangible indigenous cultural heritage; the international market in art works and antiquities; and recovery of stolen art works.
On February 24-25, 2012, the National Cultural Heritage Law Moot Court Competition Board hosted seventeen teams from around the country and featured over seventy-five attorney judges including many nationally renowned cultural property experts and DePaul College of Law faculty. The Competition was honored to have the Hon. William J. Bauer, U.S. Court of Appeals for 7th Circuit, Hon. Diane P. Wood, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, Hon. Mary Mikva, Circuit Court of Cook County, and Hon. Warren Wolfson, Illinois Appellate Court, retired, judge the final round.
See the award winners and a video of the final round of the Competition on the Past Competitions page! The 2012 problem focused on two issues concerning the Theft of Major Artwork Act (18 U.S.C. § 668). The first issue focused on Congress' Article I, Section 8 authority to regulate interstate commerce and the second issue on statutory interpretation of the Act. The full 2012 problem is on the Problem & Briefs page.
Contact
If you have any questions about the competition, please contact chmoot@gmail.com
