The Ames Semi-Final Round

The four teams competing in the Semi-Final Round began the competition in the fall and reached the final four on the strength of their research, writing, and oral advocacy.
The cases, briefs, and teams are below.

March 10 at 7:00 PM

Defendant Magnus July, who lives in Ames City in the Western District of Ames, is the parent of a young child named Liam. Liam’s mother, who lives in Springfield in the Eastern District of Ames, has sole legal and physical custody of Liam pursuant to a state court order. During one of the weekends in which Liam was visiting July, July purchased two airline tickets, crossed into the neighboring state, and flew with Liam to Canada. After a significant manhunt throughout Ames—which included assistance from the federal government and law enforcement in Canada—July was apprehended in Montreal, and he and Liam were brought back to Ames City. July was arrested and charged in the Eastern District of Ames with international parental kidnapping. After his arrest, July was interviewed by a state official from the Department of Children and Families concerning Liam’s well-being and custodial placement. July was not Mirandized during this interview, and he made incriminating statements during it.

July moved to dismiss for improper venue in the Eastern District of Ames and to suppress the statements he made to the social worker. He was convicted after a conditional guilty plea. The questions presented on appeal are:

March 11 at 7:00 PM

Brittan Davis, an unhoused man, lived in a small red tent in Casy City—a long-running encampment on public land in Ames City. Over the years the city shifted from clearing the encampment to tolerating it, fencing off streets for safety, running needle exchanges and portable restrooms, and dispatching medical and social services, even as it continued to leaflet residents with warnings that they could be evicted at any time. On the morning of January 11, 2022, officers responded to a report of a fight that had already dissipated, leaving them without probable cause or reasonable suspicion. Officer Dickerson began knocking on tents; when Davis did not answer, the officer unzipped the tent, roused him, ordered him out, and then entered, discovering a loaded handgun in Davis’s sleeping bag.

Because Davis had a prior felony conviction, he was charged as a felon in possession of a firearm under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). He moved to suppress the firearm, arguing that he retained a reasonable expectation of privacy in his tent despite its location on public land. The district court denied the motion—holding that he had no such expectation because the tent sat on public land—and applied a sentencing enhancement for a prior crime of violence. Davis was convicted following a conditional guilty plea and appealed. The questions presented on appeal are:

Questions about the Semi-Final Round?
Email the Ames Committee at [email protected].