UW Students Reach Semi-Finals at National Moot Court Competition

 
Students representing the University of Wyoming College of Law and Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources reached the semi-finals at the 2025 Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. The competition, in which more than 200 competitors from 47 law schools, was held at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in White Plains, N.Y.

The UW team, comprised of Streeter Boatright (2L), Sam Johnson (3L), and Emily Wangen (2L), tackled a multi-issue administrative law challenge to an EPA regulation and a citizen suit challenge to a small business’ water transfer activity. Preparation for the competition began in October when the problem was released and was tasked with preparing a brief with no assistance from faculty or other law students.

“Advancing to the semifinals is a testament to their deep understanding of environmental and administrative law, their sharp legal reasoning and their ability to think on their feet under intense pressure. They represented the University of Wyoming with skill, professionalism and determination,” said the team’s coach Temple Stoellinger, Associate Professor at the College of Law, Associate Dean at the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, and Co-Director of the Gina Guy Center for Land and Water Law, in a UW press release.

With three sides represented in the problem, the team brief the arguments on behalf of one side but had to prepare arguments for each side for oral arguments. The brief score was combined with the team’s three preliminary round scores to determine which teams would advance to the quarter-final round. The UW team earned the 10th highest brief score and ended the preliminary round in 11th place. The UW team competed in the quarter final round before advancing to the semi-final round with eight other teams.

Team members Johnson, a third-year student, and Wangen, a second-year student, are enrolled in the J.D./M.A. in Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) dual degree program in the College of Law and Haub School of ENR. Boatright is a second-year J.D. student in the College of Law.