UA Law students Kimberly Jones (‘17) and Francisco Canales (‘17) represented the Law School at the Hispanic National Bar Association Uvaldo Herrera National Moot Court Competition March 30-April 1 in Miami.
This year’s problem was based upon Beckles v. United States, a recently decided Supreme Court case. The problem raised complicated issues concerning the constitutionality of a United States Sentencing Guidelines provision and whether a ruling striking down that provision as unconstitutional would apply retroactively.
Jones and Canales competed in a field of 32 teams from around the country. They advanced to the quarterfinals where they lost a very close decision to the eventual competition champion from Washington and Lee. In the quarterfinal round, the team received high praise from all of the judges, including the United States district court judge who originally sentenced the defendant in the Beckles case.
In addition to the team’s success, Canales was individually recognized as the second best oralist in a field of almost 90 competitors.