CWRU’s ICC Moot Court Team Advances to the Finals, Earning a Berth in the International Rounds in The Hague

ICC Moot Court Team
Top row, from left to right: Denakpon Tchobo, Kelsey Tschanen, Lucas Christensen and Spencer Luckwitz; bottom row: Madeline McDaniel and Rose Lekan

From March 7-9, the CWRU ICC Moot Court Team competed in the Round of the Americas International Criminal Court Competition hosted by Pace University in White Plains, NY. The team is composed of Lucas Christensen (3L), Kelsey Tschanen (2L), Spencer Luckwitz (2L), Madeline McDaniel (2L) and Rose Lekan (1L). 

The team excelled in the three-round preliminaries, earning a spot in the semi-finals. Based on its superb performance in the semis, CWRU advanced to the finals and earned a trip to the Hague for the International Bar Association’s International Rounds. At the Hague the team will compete against law schools from across the globe. 

Earning individual honors were:

  • Kelsey Tschanen - 3rd Place Memorial (Prosecutor)
  • Kelsey Tschanen - 3rd Place Oralist (Prosecutor)
  • Spencer Luckwitz - 3rd Place Oralist (Government)

Team captain and three-year team member Lucas Christensen argued in both the semi-final and final round on behalf of the defense. The other final round teams were Georgetown and William & Mary Law Schools.

The CWRU team is coached by Michael Benza, Denakpon Tchobo and Carol Fox. 

The ICC Moot Court competition involves a fictional case before the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court. This year’s problem concerned whether “ecocide” could be prosecuted as a crime against humanity. Three advocates argue each round — the prosecutor, defense counsel and government counsel. This is the second time CWRU has made it to the international rounds, and the most awards CWRU has ever won in this competition.