The final round of the 2025 Faust F. Rossi Moot Court Competition took place on February 8 in the MacDonald Moot Court Room and featured Whitney Dawson ’26, arguing for the petitioner, and Michael Spivey ’26, arguing for the respondent, squaring off in the fictional case of Myrontana v. U.S. Dawson emerged the victor in the rigorous case, which involved whether the enforcement provisions of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 are facially unconstitutional under the private nondelegation doctrine.

Dawson, who also won the Langfan First-Year Moot Court Competition last year, said, “This year’s problem was very intellectually challenging and interesting. I really enjoyed collaborating with the other competitors and learning about a new area of the law.”

An esteemed panel of judges presided over the final round of the competition:

• Hon. Jennifer Boal (J.D. ’89), United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
• Hon. Elizabeth Aherne (B.A. ’95), Tompkins County Supreme Court, (Ithaca)
• Hon. Katherine Levine (B.S. ’75), Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term (Brooklyn)
• Hon. Sharon A.M. Aarons, New York State Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department (Albany)

“As the final Moot Court Competition in the current cycle, the Rossi Competition always showcases the best of the Cornell Law class, making the accomplishment of the two finalists all that more impressive,” said John McCloud ’25, chancellor of the Moot Court Board.

The final round also included the Louis Kaiser Best Brief Competition, which was won by Michael Spivey. The other finalists this year were Dawson and Vallan Roan ’26.

The Rossi Moot Court Competition continues to be a coveted courtroom event that is reserved for upper-class students. In 2013, the Law School renamed the former Winter Moot Court Competition as the Faust F. Rossi Moot Court Competition to honor Rossi’s service and dedication upon his retirement. The name change was the result of an endowment established by alumni who were moot court teammates who benefitted from Rossi’s guidance and advice throughout their participation in various internal and external moot court competitions.