The final round of the 2024 Cuccia Cup Moot Court Competition took place on October 26 in the MacDonald Moot Court Room. This year’s hard-fought victory went to Alan Hakki ’26 and Brian Hartan ’26 who argued against Paul Janes ’26 and Andrew Hallowell ’26. In the Case No. CLS 2024-3, Kroc v. Harland Realty, Hakki and Hartan argued for the respondent and Janes and Hallowell argued on behalf of the petitioner.

“This year’s tournament was one of the most competitive that we’ve seen, making the performances of our finalists all that more impressive,” said John McCloud, chancellor of the Moot Court Board. “Getting to watch each student grow as an advocate over the course of the competition was the highlight for the board, and a testament to the incredible student body here at Cornell Law.”

The final round of the competition was arbitrated by a respected panel of judges:

• Hon. Joseph Bianco, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• Hon.  Carlton Reeves, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
• Hon. Ronnie Abrams, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
• Hon. Tana Lin, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

The case revolved around whether a law which restricts the conditions under which a lessor can evict tenants who have violated their leases effects either a physical or a regulatory taking; and, whether allegations that such a law disrupts preexisting lease contracts states a claim for relief under article 1, section 10 of the U.S. Constitution.

“I loved the structure of this competition,” said Alan Hakki ’26. “Moving from students to professors to a full panel of judges, I found it essential to collaborate with my teammate and treat the issues as multidimensional.”

The winners of the Louis Kaiser Best Brief Competition this year were James Gordy ’25 and Tedrick Au ’25.

Prize money for the Cuccia Cup is funded annually through endowed gifts from the Cuccia family. Prizes for the Best Brief are funded through an endowed gift from Louis Kaiser, LL.B. ’21.

The Cuccia Cup is the only competition within the Law School where competitors argue in teams of two, and any student who participates in the Cuccia Cup fulfills part of the requirements needed to join the Moot Court Board.

Cornell Law looks forward to the 2025 Faust F. Rossi Moot Court Competition this spring.