Temple University Beasley School of Law Invites You to: I. Herman Stern Moot Court Competition Final Round
Thursday, April 16, 2026
4:00 – 6:00 PM
Duane Morris LLP Moot Court Room
Reception to follow
event description
Join us for the final round of the I. Herman Stern Moot Court Competition, a signature event of Temple Law’s advocacy program. This competition features the top student advocates from Temple’s Moot Court Competition Team who have spent the semester researching, briefing, and arguing a real, currently active appellate case. After advancing through multiple preliminary rounds, the final four competitors face off in a dynamic oral argument before a distinguished panel of judges.
This year’s case, drawn from a matter currently before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, presents a timely and complex First Amendment issue, asking whether the definition of “obscene” in Pennsylvania’s disorderly conduct statute requires an appeal to the prurient interest and whether the petitioner’s language meets that standard. The problem places competitors at the center of an evolving constitutional debate, requiring them to navigate doctrine, statutory interpretation, and the boundaries of protected speech.
Presiding over the final round is an exceptional panel: the Honorable Theodore McKee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the Honorable Lori A. Dumas of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, and Mary Catherine Roper, Esq., a nationally recognized civil rights appellate advocate. Together, they will provide a rigorous and prestigious forum for competitors to showcase their advocacy at the highest level.
We invite you to join us for what promises to be an engaging and memorable afternoon of appellate advocacy.
Register Here
Meet the Judges
Honorable Lori A. Dumas
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
Honorable Theodore McKee
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Mary Catherine Roper, Esq.,
Nationally recognized civil rights appellate advocate, Langer Grogan & Diver, PC