It is not best that we should all think alike, it is differences of opinion that make horse races. The competition was founded in 1959 by a group of international law students who sought to promote international legal education. It is an international law advocacy competition in which oral and written pleadings would be presented on timely issues of international law and argued as if before the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands. The competition was officially named in honor of Judge Philip C. Jessup of the International Court of Justice in 1963. The American Society of International Law and the International Law Students Association are co-sponsors of the international competition.
Participants compete in regional and national competitions in their respective countries.
In the U.S., twelve regional rounds are held in which the winner of each region advances to the national competition. D.C. This year s problem was The Case Concerning The Vaccine Trials. Wayne State University Law School participated in this year s problem with ten students, half of them first year students, researching the problem and helping to draft the memorials. Four of the team members, Priya Marwah, Melissa Francis, Matt Levine, and Alexandros Laios, participated as oralists in the Regional Competition in Chicago on February 11-13. We gained valuable experience and performed well despite not winning any awards.