The Harlan Institute Championship Round At The National Archives

The Harlan Institute has completed the Fourteenth Annual Virtual Supreme Court Competition. This year, in honor of America’s 250th Anniversary, the competition presented the case of Patriots v. Loyalists. This competition offered teams of two high school students the opportunity to research American history, write persuasive appellate briefs, argue against other students through video chats, and try to persuade a panel of esteemed attorneys during oral argument that the Declaration should be signed.

On April 7, we held the Final Four round at the Georgetown Supreme Court Institute. Presiding were Judge Kyle Duncan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Judge Gregory Maggs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. In the first match, the Petitioners were represented by Team #24358 from Creekview High School in Texas (Lauren Hohltand Tzur Shalit). Their coach was Jonathan Cartray. The Respondents were represented by Team # 24627 from Regis High School in New York (Cullen Brennan and Nicholas Kim). Their coach was Eric DiMichele.

In the second match, the Petitioners were represented by Team #24346 from Greenwich High School in Connecticut (Kaitlyn Qin and Diana Davidson). Their coach was Aaron Hull. The Respondents were represented by Team #24266 from the Baldwin School in Pennsylvania (Eileen Wang and Sarah Tarka). Their coach was Athan Biss.

After two excellent, closely-matched rounds, Team #24358 from Texas and Team #24346 from Connecticut advanced.

After the Final Four round, we walked over the Supreme Court for lunch, a tour, and a lecture. It is always a treat to bring students to the Supreme Court for the first time.

In the evening, we held the Championship Round at the National Archives. On permanent display in the Rotunda are the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It was so special for students to debate the foundational question of independence in the presence of the Declaration. This may have been the first time since 1776 where the pro-Loyalist argument was presented before the Declaration.

Presiding were Judge Duane Benton (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit), Judge Neomi Rao (U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit), Justice Evan Young (Supreme Court of Texas), and Judge Charles Eskridge (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas). Both teams presented compelling arguments for and against independence. In the the end, the judges selected the Patriots, Lauren Hohltand Tzur Shalit, as the Champions. Diana Davidson was selected as best oralist.

This was a magical evening and a fitting tribute to 250 years of independence. My sincere thanks two Elizabeth Steeves (Yale) and Shemaiah DeJorge (Georgetown) for helping to coordinate this competition.

I have included photos and videos below the jump.

The Georgetown Supreme Court Institute Final Four – Match 1

Final Four – Match 2

The Supreme Court

The National Archives The Judges

The Patriots

The Loyalists

The Judgment

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Source: https://reason.com/volokh/2026/05/13/the-harlan-institute-championship-round-at-the-national-archives/