MOOT COURT BYLAWS
ARTICLE I. - Mission Statement of the Moot Court
The Moot Court Board (The Board) exists to develop each individual member's potential in written and oral advocacy, to represent the College of Law successfully in various Moot Court competitions, and to enhance each individual member's educational experience in law school.
A. To develop each individual member's potential in written and oral advocacy by providing each member:
1. The opportunity to have participated in at least one competition by the time he or she has graduated from the College of Law;
2. The chance to be critiqued and to critique others in a method which will be fruitful and positive;
3. The opportunity to work as an individual and as a team member working toward common goals;
4. A structured program of classes, exercises, and seminars which add to the basic knowledge provided in first year's Research, Writing, and Advocacy (RWA) class.
B. To represent the College of Law successfully by:
1. Being a member of one of the Board sponsored teams;
2. Hosting various competitions;
3. Being involved with alumni both as a student and as an alumnus or alumnae.
C. To enhance each individual member's educational experience in law school by:
1. Providing an environment for constructive growth and development;
2. Providing experience that is valuable in the professional world;
3. Providing social opportunities.
ARTICLE II. - Board Selection
A. Eligibility of Prospective Board Members
1. Prospective Board Members shall have successfully completed Legal Bibliography and RWA. In the case of transfer students, successful completion of equivalent first-year legal research, writing and advocacy course shall satisfy this requirement. Successful completion shall be deemed to be a grade of PASS in Legal Bibliography, and a number average of 75 percent or higher in RWA, or 80 percent in the second semester. In the case of transfer students, acceptance of the equivalent courses for transfer credit purposes by the Georgia State University College of Law shall be conclusive evidence of satisfactory completion.
2. Board candidates shall receive a grade of 75 percent or higher on both the appellate brief and oral argument portions of the Appellate Advocacy Tournament.
3. Board candidates shall be required to have achieved an overall grade point average of 75 percent or higher by the end of completion of the first year of law school.
B. Moot Court Candidates
Board Members shall be chosen by one of two methods:
a. Invitation to join Moot Court pursuant to Section C (below), or
b. Selection based on performance in the Appellate Advocacy Tournament, pursuant to Section D (below).
Acceptance of an invitation to participate on Moot Court Board requires an affirmative commitment by the student (as defined in Article VI of these bylaws, below). In addition, the student must perform any duties required by these bylaws (as defined in Article III and Article IV, below).
C.
Moot Court Invitees
At the completion of the Spring semester of RWA, eight (8) students shall
be invited to join Moot Court as Invitees.
1. “Grade-On” Invitees: Four (4) Invitees will be selected from the top four (4) [plus ties] students in RWA, based upon their combined brief and oral argument scores (50 percent each).
a. The brief score will be assessed by the faculty head of the RWA program.
b. The oral argument scores shall be derived from the combined scores from the Preliminary rounds of the oral argument phase.
c. The four (4) “Grade-On” Invitees will be extended an invitation by the President of the Moot Court Board after final grades are submitted by the RWA professors. The invitations will be mailed or emailed in the summer prior to the students receiving their invitations to join or write on to Law Review.
2. “Argue-On” Invitees: Additionally, each of the four (4) finalists from the oral argument portion of the RWA program will be invited to join Moot Court as Invitees.
3. All Invitees will be subject to the requirements set forth in Article III, Article V and Article VII of these bylaws (below).
4. In the event that any of the invitations are declined, no further invitations will be extended.
5. In the event that a student qualifies as both a “Grade-On” Invitee and an “Argue-On” Invitee, no further invitations will be extended.
D. Appellate Advocacy Tournament
Students who meet all eligibility requirements set forth in Section A of this article and who were not invited to join the Moot Court Board pursuant to Section C of this article may try out for the Moot Court Board by competing in the Appellate Advocacy Tournament. The Tournament shall consist of both brief writing and oral argument components, to be based upon a problem selected by the Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy and approved by the President. The format of the competition shall comport with the following provisions:
1. The Brief Writing Component:
a. The problem will be made available to eligible students via the intranet, and competitors may download the problem and begin working on the brief as early as May 15;
b. Students will have up to four (4) weeks from the day they download the problem to submit their completed brief;
c. Students are not required to download the problem as soon as it is available. Instead, they may download the problem at any time over the summer. However, each competitor’s brief must be turned in by the Due Date, regardless of the date the competitor downloaded the problem;
d. The Due Date should be set by the Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy as early as possible in September.
2. The Oral Argument Component:
a. The oral argument component of the Tournament shall consist of two rounds, one “on-brief” and one “off-brief”;
b. The first round shall be the on-brief round, and it shall commence no sooner than one week after the Due Date for briefs;
c. The second round shall be the off-brief round, and it shall commence no sooner than one week after the commencement of the on-brief round.
3. Grading: Moot Court Board Members shall grade all briefs and serve as oral argument judges for the Appellate Advocacy Tournament. The Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy will provide the Board Members with guidelines for scoring both components of the Tournament. Competitors will be ranked based on their combined brief and oral argument scores, and selection of new board members shall be based upon this ranking.
4. Additional Educational Resources: The Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy and the Executive Committee shall make available or suggest to all competitors appropriate resources by which the competitors may further develop their appellate advocacy skills. Such resources may include, but are not limited to:
a. Video taped or live seminars on written and/or oral advocacy;
b. Recommended texts on written and/or oral advocacy;
c. Case Counsels: Current Moot Court Board Members who may serve as mentors for competitors during the Tournament.
Article III. - Responsibilities of Moot Court Board Members
A. Executive Committee
The Moot Court shall be governed by an Executive Committee consisting of the nine elected officers described in Section B (below). The President shall be the chairman of the Executive Committee. Each officer shall have a vote on the Executive committee. The President shall only vote in the event of a tie among the Executive Committee members.
B. Elections
Board Members and Candidates shall elect officers for the incoming Board by the vote of a simple majority of those casting ballots, provided that at least two-thirds of the Board Members and Candidates are present. The election will be held no later than the first week of February. The outgoing president will provide notice of the opening of nominations at least one week prior to the election. Notice of the opening of nominations and the time and place of the election will be prominently posted on the administrative bulletin board.
Newly elected officers will work with their outgoing counterpart until an Executive Committee meeting at or around the first week of April where the newly elected officers will officially begin serving their term. Newly elected officers will serve until at or around the first week in April of the following year.
C. Officers
1. President
The President shall be responsible for the overall administration of both the Appellate Advocacy Tournament and Moot Court Competition Team components. The President shall also be responsible for acting as a liaison between the Board and the College of Law faculty and administration. This officer shall:
a. Act as chairman of the Executive Committee, casting a vote on that committee only in the case of a tie;
b. Select competition teams along with the Vice President of Moot Court and the Vice President of Competition subject to approval by the Executive Committee;
c. Appoint Board members to any and all vacant officer positions subject to approval by the Executive Committee;
d. Work with the Vice President-Treasurer as well as the College of Law administrative staff to ensure the Board meets its fiscal responsibility;
e. Possess editorial responsibility for Appellate Advocacy entailing selection and development of research problems to be used in the fall;
f. Monitor Board member activities to ensure the smooth functioning of Competition Teams;
g. Work with the Vice President of Development to foster alumni relations;
h. Work with the Moot Court Faculty Advisor to ensure good relations with the College of Law faculty;
i. Provide recommendations to the Moot Court Faculty Advisor regarding the appropriate awarding of academic credit to program participants;
j. Appear before faculty at the beginning of each semester, along with the Vice President of Competitions, to present the schedule of competitions and seek faculty member support;
k. Take any action necessary that is in the best interest and furtherance of the stated goals of the Board.
2. Vice President of Moot Court
The Vice President of Moot Court shall be responsible for assisting all other officers in performance of their duties. This officer shall:
a. Select competition teams along with the President and the Vice President of Competitions subject to approval by the Executive Committee;
b. Assist the President in performing his/her duties when the President is engaged in competition or otherwise cannot achieve the goals of the office;
c. Coordinate a trip to an Atlanta-based appellate court each Fall and/or Spring semester and ensure all Moot Court I students attend (the trip should be open to and optional for all other Board Members);
d. Select the five-member disciplinary panel, pursuant to Article VIII with the assistance of the Executive Committee;
e. Ensure that all Board Members are present at all Board meetings;
i. Board Members who are unable to attend scheduled meetings must present a valid excuse;
ii. The validity of the excuse will be determined by this officer, but may include work, class, or personal reasons.
f. Be responsible for the administration of Moot Court elections pursuant to Article III, Section B;
g. Assume the duties of the President should the president be unable to perform his/her duties for any reason (incapacity, resignation, removal, withdrawal from school, etc.).
3. Vice President-Appellate Advocacy
Two (2) Board members will serve as Vice President of Appellate Advocacy. The Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy are responsible for coordinating all aspects of the Appellate Advocacy Tournament, to comport with the format enumerated in Article II. These officers shall:
a. Develop the research problems to be used for the Tournament;
b. Establish deadlines for submission of appellate briefs;
c. Assign current Board Members to be Case Counsels to prospective Moot Court members competing in the Tournament;
d. Provide for additional educational resources pursuant to Article II, Section D, Paragraph 4;
e. Schedule oral argument rounds for the Tournament;
f. Assign Board members to be judges for oral arguments;
g. Assign Moot Court Invitees to write the bench brief for the Appellate Advocacy problem;
h. Assign Board Members to read and score briefs;
i.
Compile the results of the brief writing
and oral argument sections of the Tournament and, based upon those scores,
recommending to the Board those students that should be extended
invitations upon Board approval;
j. Ensure that invited students are eligible for Moot Court pursuant to Article II, Section A;
k. Ensure that the Tournament is completed, and that new members are invited to join Moot Court, before the end of September;
l. Plan and administer oral argument and brief writing workshops during Fall Semester, to be mandatory for new members and optional for all other Board Members.
4. Vice President-Competitions
The Vice President of Competitions is responsible for any and all areas involved with competitions and competition teams. This officer shall:
a. Work with the Executive Committee to select competitions;
b. Select competition teams along with the President and Vice President of Moot Court subject to approval by the Executive Committee;
c. Enter teams in the selected competitions;
d. Coordinate travel and lodging for the competition teams;
e. Consult with all team coaches and create practice schedules for the competition teams of that term;
f. Work with the Vice President-Treasurer to create a yearly competition budget for approval by the Executive Committee;
g. Ensure that all Board Members who are not competing, coaching, or serving on the executive committee during any given semester are assigned to a team to assist that team by benching practice oral argument rounds.
5. Vice President-Development and Media Relations
The Vice President of Development and Media Relations is responsible for alumni relations, for the maintenance of the official Georgia State College of Law Moot Court website, and the Board’s social activities. This officer shall:
a. Further the relationship between the Board and Georgia State University College of Law Moot Court Board alumni;
b. Maintain a contact list of Board alumni;
c. Produce (at least) two (2) alumni newsletters per year to update the alumni about, inter alia, the Board’s accomplishments, planned activities, and future competitions;
d. Work with the President to plan at least one (1) alumni event per academic year
e. Maintain a current list of officers, Board members, Competition Teams, and competition dates on the website;
f. Update and maintain the website throughout the year including posting upcoming Board activities, competition results, and any distinctions earned by Competition Teams or Competition Team Members;
g. Work with the Executive Committee to expand the content on the website to meet the growing and changing needs of the Board;
h. Update any award plaques in possession of the Board;
i. Coordinate the Board’s various social activities.
6. Vice President-RWA
The Vice President of RWA is responsible during the spring term for coordinating the Moot Court Board’s participation in the first-year RWA oral argument competition. This officer shall:
a. Set up two (2) oral argument demonstrations (one for the day students, one for the evening students) for the first-year RWA students to be performed by members of the Intrastate Competition Team (or another team if necessary);
b. Assign Board members to be Case Counsels for the first-year students;
c. Work with the RWA faculty to formulate an oral argument schedule;
d. Assign Board members to be judges for oral arguments;
e. Ensure that all oral arguments have two (2) Board members present to judge;
f. Assist the RWA faculty in tabulating oral argument scores to determine which first-year students advance to the second round of the competition.
7. Vice President-Records
The Vice President of Records is responsible for collecting, organizing and maintaining competition information and also maintaining and updating the Moot Court Manual. This officer shall:
a. Collect all competition information including, but not limited to: competition problem, the Competition Team’s brief, other teams’ briefs (if available), the winning brief (if available), score sheets, information obtained by the Competition Team at the competition, etc.;
b. Organize this material for future reference by the Board;
c. De-brief Competition Teams regarding the competition including, but not limited to, information on: the number of teams, the winning team(s), the best oralist, the best brief, the judging, the judges, the travel and lodging (to be given to the Vice President of Competitions).
8. Vice President-Treasurer
The Vice President-Treasurer is responsible for any and all areas related to the finances of the Moot Court. This officer shall:
a. Along with the President, act as the liaison between the Moot Court and the Georgia State College of Law Administrative staff relating to any and all financial matters;
b. Be responsible for processing, handling and recording all monetary expenditures made by the Moot Court;
c. Work with the Vice President of Competitions to create a yearly competition budget for approval by the Executive Committee;
d. Work with the Vice President of Development and Media Relations to create a yearly dues amount for approval by the Executive Committee;
e. Be responsible for the collection of yearly Board dues. Dues will be payable at the beginning of the Fall and Spring Semester for Board Members and Invitees and at the beginning Spring Semester for Board Candidates;
f. Maintain records of all Moot Court finances.
D. Moot Court Board Members
Moot Court Board Membership involves a four (4) consecutive semester commitment. Board Members will register for and receive one (1) hour pass fail credit for completing each of the following courses: Moot Court I, Moot Court II, Moot Court III and Moot Court IV. All Board Members will participate as a competitor on at least one (1) Competition Team, during Moot Court II, III or IV. The specific requirements of each course are as follows:
1. Moot Court I:
a. Students invited to join Moot Court pursuant to Article II shall register to take Moot Court I during fall semester of their second year of law school;
b. All Moot Court I students shall observe oral argument at either the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Georgia Supreme Court, or the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, as coordinated by the Vice President;
c. All Moot Court I students shall attend brief writing and/or oral argument workshops, to be coordinated by the Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy;
d. All Moot Court I students are required to attend Board meetings (Unless excused by the Vice President of Moot Court pursuant to Article III, Section C(2)(d));
e. Responsibilities specific to Moot Court Invitees: In addition to the above requirements, Invitees, determined according to Article II, Section C, shall be responsible for the following:
1. In lieu of competing in the Appellate Advocacy Tournament, the Invitees will be assigned to write the “bench brief” for the Tournament. The Invitees will work with the Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy to write the “bench brief.” The Invitees will be paired and each pair will write for both sides (Petitioner and Respondent) for one (1) of the two issues chosen for the Appellate Advocacy problem. The due date for the bench brief will be determined by the Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy. This brief will be used by Board Members to score competitor briefs as well as judge and score oral arguments. Satisfactory completion of the “bench brief” by the Invitees as judged by the President and the Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy will count towards the credit hour for Moot Court I;
2. Moot Court Invitees shall also bench at least two (2) practice rounds for teams preparing for competition in the Fall.
e. Responsibilities specific to Moot Court I students who are not Invitees pursuant to Article II, Section C:
In addition to the requirements set forth in sub-paragraphs a – d of this section, all other Moot Court I students (non-invitees) shall be assigned by the Vice President of Competitions to a team preparing for competition, to assist that team with benching argument rounds and preparing bench briefs.
f. No student enrolled in Moot Court I shall compete or coach a competition team.
2. Moot Court II:
a. Board Members shall enroll in Moot Court II after completing Moot Court I;
b. Board Members enrolled in Moot Court II are eligible to compete or serve as an assistant coach for a competition;
c. All Board Members enrolled in Moot Court II shall assist the Vice President of RWA in the Spring by serving as Case Counsels and judging and scoring oral arguments for the first-year RWA oral argument competition;
d. All Moot Court II students who are not competing or serving as assistant coach shall bench at least two (2) practice rounds for teams preparing for competition;
e. All Board Members enrolled in Moot Court II are required to attend Board meetings (Unless excused by the Vice President of Moot Court pursuant to Article III, Section C(2)(d)).
3. Moot Court III:
a. Board Members shall enroll in Moot Court III after completing Moot Court II;
b. Board Members enrolled in Moot Court III are eligible to compete or serve as an assistant coach for a competition. Additionally, Board Members enrolled in Moot Court III who have previously competed or served as an assistant coach are eligible to coach a competition team;
c. All Board Members enrolled in Moot Court III will assist the Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy in the Fall by serving as Case Counsels, reading and grading briefs, and judging and scoring oral arguments for the Appellate Advocacy Tournament.
d. All Board Members enrolled in Moot Court III are required to attend Board meetings (Unless excused by the Vice President of Moot Court pursuant to Article III, Section C(2)(d)).
4. Moot Court IV:
a. Board Members shall enroll in Moot Court IV after completing Moot Court III;
b. Board Members enrolled in Moot Court IV are eligible to compete or serve as an assistant coach for a competition. Additionally, Board Members enrolled in Moot Court IV who have previously competed or served as an assistant coach are eligible to coach a competition team;
c. Board Members enrolled in Moot Court IV must compete if they have not competed previously;
d. All Board Members enrolled in Moot Court IV shall assist the Vice President of RWA in the Spring by serving as Case Counsels and judging and scoring oral arguments for the first-year RWA oral argument competition;
e. All Board Members enrolled in Moot Court IV are required to attend Board meetings (Unless excused by the Vice President of Moot Court pursuant to Article III, Section C(2)(d)).
ARTICLE IV. - Responsibilities of Case Counsels and Competition Teams
B. Case Counsels:
1. Case Counsels are responsible for guiding Prospective Board Members in the Appellate Advocacy Tournament in both the brief writing and the oral argument sections. The extent of assistance and involvement (i.e. brief conferences, judging practice rounds, etc.) by the Case Counsels with Prospective Board Members will be determined by the Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy.
2. Case Counsels are also responsible for guiding first-year RWA students in teh Spring RWA oral argument competition. The Case Counsels will be available to first-year students to give advice and assistance with oral argument skills (i.e. judging practice rounds, discussing oral argument techniques, etc.). The head of the RWA program will determine the extent of assistance and involvement by the Case Counsels with first-year RWA students.
B. Competition Teams:
1. Competition Teams will be made up of Board Members serving as Competitors, Coaches and Assistant Coaches. Each Competition Team will be selected by the President, Vice President of Moot Court and the Vice President of Competitions, subject to approval by the Executive Committee.
2. Competitors will be responsible for:
a. Representing the Georgia State University College of Law and the Moot Court Board at various competitions around the country;
b. Working together to research and write the brief;
c. Completing the brief in the time limits set by the competition and the coaches;
d. Working with the coaches to set up oral argument practice times;
e. Recruiting judges for oral argument practice rounds (including professors, alumni, attorneys, judges, Board members);
f. Working with the Vice President of Records to convey competition experiences and information after the competition is done.
3. Coaches and Assistant Coaches will be responsible for:
a. Setting up brief completion deadlines;
b. Mailing the brief to the competition as well as to other teams;
c. Working with Competitors to set up oral argument practice times;
d. Recruiting judges for oral argument practice rounds (including professors, alumni, attorneys, judges, Board members);
e. Reporting brief deadlines and practice schedules to the Vice President of Moot Court;
f. Working with the Vice President of Competitions to ensure that the Competition Team is registered for the competition, has travel and lodging for the competition;
g. Working with the Vice President of Records to convey competition experiences and information after the competition is done.
ARTICLE V. - Academic Credit
A. Academic credit will be available to Moot Court Board Members on a pass/fail basis.
B. Academic credit will be awarded at the rate of one (1) semester hour for each semester successfully completed, up to a maximum of four (4) hours for the entire Moot Court I – IV sequence.
C. The Moot Court Board President shall recommend to the faculty moot court advisor each semester those board members whose participation constitutes successful completion for purposes of academic credit. The determination will be based upon the quantity and quality of board work performed.
ARTICLE VI. - Commitment
Membership on Moot Court requires a commitment to serving four (4) consecutive semesters following acceptance of an invitation to join the Board. In no event may a student earn more than four (4) semester hours credit for the entire Moot Court Board I – IV sequence. Students invited to join the Board accept a commitment to participate on a Competition Team if chosen. Students invited to join the Board accept a commitment to pay yearly dues (as determined and set by the Executive Committee). Students invited to join must compete in at least one (1) competition during their time on Moot Court.
A. An exception to the four-consecutive-semester commitment or the competition requirement may be made for undue hardship as demonstrated by an individual member pursuant to the following procedure:
1. The member shall provide notice of his or her hardship situation and the nature of the relief requested to the President as soon as the situation arises. (Examples of hardship include situations where a student wished to switch from full-time to part-time or withdraws from school for a semester for whatever reason.);
2. The President shall present the request to the Executive Committee, and the request shall be granted upon a majority vote.
B. A member’s failure to satisfy the three-consecutive-semester commitment will subject the member to the removal procedures discussed in Article IX, Section A of these bylaws.
C. A member’s failure to pay dues will subject the member to the removal procedures discussed in Article IX, Section A of these bylaws.
ARTICLE VII. - Disciplinary Panel
The Disciplinary Panel shall consist of five non-Executive Committee members selected by the Vice President of Moot Court with the assistance of the Executive Committee. The Disciplinary Panel shall operate and make its decisions regarding Moot Court disciplinary matters independently of the Executive Committee. If the subject of a disciplinary complaint is a member of the Disciplinary Panel, the subject shall step down and be replaced by the Vice President of Moot Court.
A. The Disciplinary Panel may take disciplinary action against a Member, Invitee or Candidate pursuant to the following provisions:
1. There is no substitute for communication, effective leadership and management techniques. Board members are expected to handle themselves professionally at all times, and shall make every effort to handle minor problems with a candidate or member without taking formal disciplinary action. In the event of serious misconduct, any member or candidate may report an individual’s misconduct to the Disciplinary Panel after notifying the individual that a request has been made for the Disciplinary Panel to take action against the Board member, Invitee or Candidate. Examples of serious misconduct include but are not limited to:
a. Failure to meet brief deadlines for a competition team;
b. Failure to attend scheduled oral argument practices for a competition team;
c. Failure to perform duties assigned by the Vice Presidents of Appellate Advocacy;
d. Failure to perform duties assigned by the Vice President of RWA.
2. The Disciplinary Panel shall notify the subject of the complaint to:
a. Inform the subject of the nature of the complaint;
b. Inform the subject of the action being contemplated;
c. Present the subject with an opportunity to present their case to the Panel;
d. Inform the subject of possible rescheduling of assignments, possible retribution or possible removal from the Board.
B. The Disciplinary Panel shall take care to perform its duties in an impartial, fair and discreet manner. The Panel shall convene to discuss the case, hear any statement from the subject of the complaint, hear any statement from any other involved Board members, Invitees and/or Candidates (in the example of a competition team where a member consistently misses deadlines), and shall decide the appropriate action to take, if any. The Panel should make every effort to make a decision that is in the best interests of the Board, not the subject of the complaint. Examples of appropriate action include but are not limited to:
1. Rescheduling deadlines or practice schedules. (This is the first step in dealing with competition team-related problems. Every effort should be made to accommodate all team members’ schedules. Input from the competition team coach and the other members is crucial at this stage. Should no compromise be possible the next appropriate step may be taken.)
2. Removing the subject of the complaint from the competition team. (This step should be taken only if the other team members approve and are capable of continuing the competition without that individual. This step should be taken early enough in the competition for the other team members to adequately prepare for and meet their deadlines, at least a week before the brief is due or at least two weeks prior to oral argument. These time frames are suggestions and may be altered to suit the individual team’s needs.)
3. Rescheduling the Board Member, Invitee or Candidate for additional duties within the Appellate Advocacy or RWA phase of Moot Court.
4. Recommending to the Executive Committee for the removal of the Board Member, Invitee or Candidate pursuant to Article IX, Section A.
C. The Disciplinary Panel shall notify the subject of the complaint, any involved team members, the President and the faculty advisor of their choice of actions.
1. The subject of the complaint may only appeal decisions that affect their removal from the Moot Court Board pursuant to Article IX, Section A.
2. Any objections as to unfairness, bias or prejudice may be made to the faculty advisor, who alone shall decide the appropriate course of action after a thorough review of the facts and the decision of the Disciplinary Panel.
ARTICLE VIII. - Removal
Failure to successfully complete all required responsibilities (as defined in Article III, Article IV, and Article V) and commitments (as defined in Article VII) shall be grounds for removal of the Board Member, Invitee or Candidate.
A. The Executive Committee may hold a removal vote in the following cases:
1. Failure of a Board Member, Invitee or Candidate to complete required responsibilities or commitments as defined by these bylaws;
2. Upon recommendation by the Disciplinary Panel.
B. Decisions to remove a member from the Board will be made by simple majority vote of the Executive Committee. In the event the member whose participation in dispute is an officer, the faculty advisor will be substituted for the officer and will confer and vote in his/her stead.
1. In the event of a removal vote pursuant to Article IX, Section A(1), the subject will have an opportunity to present his/her case to the Executive Committee.
2. In the event of a removal vote pursuant to Article IX, Section A(2), the subject will not be permitted to present his/her case to the Executive Committee. (Subject will have had the opportunity to present his/her case to the Disciplinary Panel.)
C. Appeal of a removal decision made by the Executive Committee may be made to the faculty advisor, unless the advisor has cast a vote in the removal decision, in which case appeal may be made to the Faculty Moot Court Committee.
ARTICLE IX. - Amendments
A. These bylaws are subject to the approval of the Moot Court Board and the Faculty of the Georgia State University College of Law.
B. These bylaws are subject to amendment at the behest of the Moot Court Board.
1. To amend the bylaws, a proposal of the amendment must be submitted to the Board.
2. The President shall give prior written notice of the proposed amendment(s).
3. The President shall give prior written notice of the date, time and place of the meeting called for the purpose of voting on the proposed amendment(s) to the bylaws.
4. The proposed amendment(s) must be approved by at least two-thirds of the Board members present at the meeting called pursuant to Article X, Section B(1).
C. These bylaws (and any amendment(s) made pursuant to Article X, Section B), once approved, will remain in full force and effect until future amendment(s).
(last amended 04/21)
(approved by Board 04/21)
(approved by faculty 04/20)