Landa and Hartje win 2025 Internal Moot Court Competition

November 28, 2025

Published in: 2025 Internal Moot Court Competition, final round, Moot Court, North Dakota Supreme Court

Team Wrigley and McCabe finish runners-up

2025 Internal Moot Court finalists. L-R: Kylie Hartje, Murphy Landa, Quinn Wrigley, Katie McCabe.

Second-year law students Murphy Landa and Kylie Hartje were named champions of the 2025 Internal Moot Court Competition on November 5. The three-day competition, a longstanding tradition at the UND School of Law, is organized by the Moot Court student board and offers second- and third-year students the chance to develop their legal writing, oral advocacy, and teamwork skills. This year’s final round took place in the VandeWalle Courtroom, where finalists Quinn Wrigley and Katie McCabe argued for the Petitioner and Landa and Hartje represented the Respondent. The School of Law was honored to welcome the North Dakota Supreme Court to judge the final round.

Murphy Landa presents her oral argument to the North Dakota Supreme Court.

Teams chose their own partners and were randomly assigned a side, with roughly three weeks to prepare their written briefs before progressing through three rounds of oral arguments. “I chose to participate because I had heard it was both an excellent learning opportunity and an enjoyable challenge,” said McCabe.

During the preliminary round, teams argue once on-brief (the side they wrote their brief on) and once off-brief (the opposite side). “I struggled at first arguing off-brief with as much conviction as I had on-brief, ” Hartje shared. “I spent a lot of time with Murphy practicing answers to questions that felt more comfortable on-brief to get up to speed.”After preliminary scoring, the top six teams advanced, with the top three earning the advantage of arguing on-brief in the semifinals. From there, the two highest-scoring teams moved on to the finals, with the higher-seeded finalist automatically arguing on-brief.

Local attorneys, judges, and professors judged the preliminary rounds, followed by Professors Datzov, Klinkner, and Meyers in the semifinals. The North Dakota Supreme Court presided over the final round. “One of the biggest challenges was managing nerves while trying to maintain clarity,” said Landa. “The judges were highly respected legal professionals, and the audience sized grew each round, which added to the pressure.”

Katie McCabe during the 2025 Internal Moot Court final round.

This year’s problem focused on a disputed luxury car sale involving a California dealer, a New York-based auction platform, and a buyer from the fictional state of East Dakota. The problem raised issues of misrepresentation, contract formation, and interstate jurisdiction after a Porsche advertised as a 2025 model arrived as an older, defective vehicle.

Arguing before the North Dakota Supreme Court was a highlight for the finalists. “My favorite part was the final round,” Landa noted. “I am extremely grateful for that opportunity. I remember watching the finals as a first-year student and admiring the competitors, so participating this year felt like a full-circle moment.”

Kylie Hartje during the 2025 Moot Court final round.

Before announcing the winners, the justices provided thoughtful feedback to the finalists–offering both praise and constructive insights valuable to competitors and observers alike. “This experience has been incredibly valuable,” said Wrigley. “It provided a hands-on opportunity to grow as a writer, researcher, and advocate. I highly recommend internal Moot Court to anyone looking to strengthen those skills.”