Nebraska Law students place in semi-finals at Space Law Moot Court Competition

20 Mar 2023    

Student Grant Jones, Matias Cava, and Jon Natvig stand in front of Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court banner

Nebraska Law students Matias Cava ’24, Grant Jones, ’24, and Jon Natvig, ’23, competed in the 2023 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition. This year’s competition was the first to take place in-person since 2019 in Washington D.C. After two preliminary rounds, the team advanced from the first day of the competition with the top score in their division. The team then competed in quarter finals and semi-finals, narrowly missing the final round. 

This year’s team was coached by Associate Director Lauren Bydalek and Professor Frans von der Dunk. The competition was based on a hypothetical space law dispute before the International Court of Justice, dealing with issues of liability, violations of the outer space treaty, and other UN treaties. Participating teams submitted formal written arguments for both the Applicant and Respondent States before competing in oral arguments at Georgetown Law Center.