Virtual Winter Mock Trial 2021

Tickets will go on sale in February. Check back for more information and additional participants to be announced soon.

All rise: virtual court is now in session! Join us this winter to hear an appellate argument before the Supreme Court of Sicily, based on a legal issue arising out of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. Heralded as “The funniest, most entertaining event in Washington,” by Roll Call magazine, the Mock Trial series features prominent law professionals as they explore the connection between classical theatre and modern-day law. Past participants include justices and judges from the United States Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and the United States Court of Appeals to name a few.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company Bard Association is generously supported by Eversheds Sutherland LLP.

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Bench
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding

Advocates
Makan Delrahim, Former Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division
Andrew Weissman, Jenner & Block LLP, Former General Counsel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

More participants to be announced soon. Participants are subject to change without prior notice.
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[accordion-item title=”Learn More about the Mock Trial Series”]

“A Washington wonk’s dream” –The New York Times

Conceived in 1994, the Mock Trial Series explores the connection of classical theatre and modern-day law. Tickets to the event have been known to sell out in minutes due to the prominent law professionals it hosts, such as U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, and the Honourable Suzanne Côté from the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland, Judge David S. Tatel, Judge Thomas B. Griffith, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, Judge Patricia A. Millett, Judge Cornelia T.L. Pillard, Judge Robert L. Wilkins, and Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

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Read the Virtual Mock Trial Scenario

More information coming soon!
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Abbe D. Lowell, Chair, Winston & Strawn LLP
Jerry Block, Venable LLP (retired partner)
Carol Elder Bruce, Law Office of Carol Elder Bruce, PLLC
Gregory Cooke
Nina Laserson Dunn, Esq.
Burton Fishman, Fortney & Scott LLC
Michael Kades, Washington Center for Equitable Growth
Lloyd Randolph
John Vogel, Crowell & Moring LLP
Carolyn Wheeler, Katz, Marshall & Banks LLP
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[accordion-item title=”About the Bard Association”]
The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Bard Association offers lawyers and other individuals with legal ties the opportunity to experience classical theatre at its finest while building both personal and professional relationships. This unique affinity group provides a valuable connection between the legal community and the arts through networking opportunities, enriching panel discussions and programs, including the popular Mock Trial Series. The panel discussions and other events conduct in-depth examinations into the roles of lawyers and legal issues in many Shakespeare plays and other classic theatre pieces.

Membership in the Bard Association transforms the individual experience from occasional ticket buyer to dedicated patron of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Members of the Bard Association enjoy exclusive benefits such as advance ticket purchase for the Mock Trial Series and Shakespeare and the Law events, “behind-the-scenes” access to the theatre and the chance to create a greater awareness of the importance of the arts.

A list of Bard Association membership benefits can be found here.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company Bard Association is generously supported by Eversheds Sutherland LLP.

For information on the Bard Association, please contact SupportSTC@ShakespeareTheatre.org.
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[accordion-item title=”Past Mock Trial Panels”]
View photos from previous Bard Association events

2020 (Spring) – A Midsummer Night’s Force Majeure—When Can the Show Not Go On? (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

Bench
Judge Merrick B. Garland, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Judge Patricia A. Millett, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Judge Neomi Rao, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Judge Amy Berman Jackson, United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Advocates
Abbe David Lowell, Winston & Strawn LLP
Kathryn Ruemmler, Former White House Counsel

2020 (Winter) – Negligence in Neverland? The Trial of Peter Pan (Peter Pan and Wendy)

Bench
Judge David S. Tatel, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Judge Amy Coney Barrett, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Lord Nicholas Phillips, Former President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Judge Amit P. Mehta, United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Judge Joshua Deahl, Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals

Advocates
Jeffrey L. Fisher, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School, and Special Counsel, O’Melveny & Myers
Rod J. Rosenstein, Former United States Deputy Attorney General

2019 (Summer) – Murder in Mycenae: Did Electra Hold the Knife? (The Oresteia)

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States
Judge Patricia A. Millett, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Judge Stephanos Bibas, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Advocates
Beth S. Brinkmann, Covington & Burling LLP
Elizabeth B. Wydra, Constitutional Accountability Center

2019 (Winter) – A Good Name Restored…Was the Taking Unlawful? (Richard III)

Bench
Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States
Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Judge Amy Berman Jackson, United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Advocates
Lindsay C. Harrison, Jenner & Block LLP
Charles J. Cooper, Cooper & Kirk, PLLC

2018 (Spring) – The Trial of Mordred: Insurrection in Camelot (Camelot)

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States
Justice Elena Kagan, Supreme Court of the United States
The Honourable Suzanne Côté, Supreme Court of Canada
Judge Patricia A. Millett, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
Linda T. Coberly, Winston & Strawn LLP
Noel Francisco, Solicitor General of the United States

2018 (Winter) – The Trial of Hamlet (Hamlet)

Judge
Justice Anthony Kennedy, Supreme Court of the United States

Counsel
Defense
Abbe David Lowell, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
The Honorable Nancy Gertner (Ret.)

Prosecution
Jessie K. Liu, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia
The Honorable James Boasberg, United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Expert Witness
Defense Witness
Rev. Dr. Ronald E. Hopson

Prosecution Witness
Dr. Joseph Novello

Hamlet
Michael Urie

Bailiff
Maggie Thompson

Clerks
Matthew Gregory, Supreme Court of the United States
Krista Perry, Supreme Court of the United States

Jury
Jonesa Green, Student at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School
Sammy Jordan, IBM
Emily Lenzner, The Atlantic Media
Thurgood Marshall, Jr., Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
Ethan McSweeny, STC Affiliated Artist
Dat Ngo, STC Associate Director of Education
Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC
Alexandra Petri, The Washington Post
John Ryan, Deputy Chief Counsel, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Stephen M. Ryan, McDermott Will & Emery
Jorden Stanton, Student at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School
Marshal Pamela Talkin, Supreme Court of the United States

2017 (Winter) – How Am I Beguiled? The Case of Olivia & Sebastian (Twelfth Night)

Bench
Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, presiding
Judge David S. Tatel, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Thomas B. Griffith, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Robert L. Wilkins, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia

Advocates
Cate Stetson, Hogan Lovells US LLP
Dan K. Webb, Winston & Strawn LLP

2017 (Spring) – The Trial of the Weird Sisters (Macbeth)

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States
Judge David S. Tatel, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Sri Srinivasan, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Patricia A. Millett, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
Deanne E. Maynard, Morrison & Foerster LLP
Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP

2016 (Fall) – Romeo & Juliet: Wrongful Deaths? (Romeo and Juliet)

Bench
Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Judge Thomas B. Griffith, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Robert L. Wilkins, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Advocates
Elizabeth B. Prelogar, Assistant to the Solicitor General
Karl A. Racine, Attorney General for the District of Columbia

2016 (Spring) – The Trial of Winston vs. Oceania (1984)

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States
Judge David S. Tatel, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Patricia A. Millett, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Cornelia T.L. Pillard, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
Amy Jeffress, Arnold & Porter LLP
Bob Bauer, Perkins Coie LLP

2015 (Winter) – Salomé Adapted by Yaël Farber

Bench
Justice Elena Kagan, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Judge Cornelia T.L. Pillard, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Amy Berman Jackson, United States District Court for D.C.

Advocates
Deborah B. Baum, Pillsbury LLP
Carol Elder Bruce, K&L Gates LLP

2015 (Spring) – Man of La Mancha by Joe Darion, Mitch Leigh, and Dale Wasserman

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States
Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Patricia A. Millett, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Amy Berman Jackson, United States District Court for D.C.

Advocates
Thomas C. Goldstein, Goldstein & Russell, P.C.
Carter G. Phillips, Sidley Austin LLP

2014 (Fall) – Lysistrata by Aristophanes

Bench
Justice Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, District of Columbia Court of Appeals

Advocates
Stewart Baker, Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Pantelis Michalopoulos, Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Lori Alvino McGill, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP
Christina Sarchio, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

2014 (Spring) – Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States
Chief Judge Merrick Garland, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge David Tatel, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Patricia Millett, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
Roberta Kaplan, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP
Kathleen M. Sullivan, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP

2013 – Coriolanus by William Shakespeare

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States
Justice Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States
Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge David S. Tatel, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
Lisa S. Blatt, Arnold & Porter LLP
Seth Waxman, WilmerHale LLP

2012 – Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States
Justice Elena Kagan, Supreme Court of the United States
Judge Merrick B. Garland, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
Sandy Ain, Ain & Bank
Reid Weingarten, Steptoe & Johnson

2011 – An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. , Supreme Court of the United States
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court of the United States
Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Merrick B. Garland, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge David S. Tatel, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
Irv Nathan, D.C. Attorney General
Beth Wilkinson, Paul Weiss

2010 – Henry V by William Shakespeare

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States
Chief Judge Paul Michel, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Judge Janice Rogers Brown, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Merrick B. Garland, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge David S. Tatel, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
Viet Dinh, Bancroft & Associates
Miguel Estrada, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Greg Garre, Latham & Watkins
Kannon Shanmugam, Williams & Connolly

2009-Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States
Chief Judge Paul Michel, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Judge Rosemary M. Collyer, United States District Court for D.C.
Judge Merrick B. Garland, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
Paul Clement Esq. King and Spalding
Roy Englert Esq. Robbins Russell et al

2008 – The Trial of Socrates

Bench
Justice Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Judge Rosemary M. Collyer, United States District Court for D.C.
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Richard J. Leon, United States District Court for D.C.
Chief Judge Paul Michel, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Advocates
Abbe David Lowell, McDermott Will and Emery
Abe Krash Esq., Arnold & Porter LLP
Pantelis Michalopoulos Esq., Steptoe and Johnson
Betty Jo Christian Esq., Steptoe and Johnson

2007 – Edward II by Christopher Marlowe

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Chief Judge Paul Michel, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Judge Stephen H. Glickman, District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Judge Pauline Newman, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Judge Alan David Lourie, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Senior Judge Frank E. Schwelb, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
Vanessa Countryman, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Michael Dreeben Esq., United States Deptartment of Justice
Erin Murphy, The United States Department of Justice
Theodore Olson, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

2006 – An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Chief Judge Paul Michel, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Chief Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Pauline Newman, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Judge Alan David Lourie, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Senior Judge Frank E. Schwelb, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
Greg Craig, Williams & Connolly
Barbara McDowell, The Legal Aid Society for the District of Columbia

2005 – Othello by William Shakespeare

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States
Judge Laurence Silberman, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Frank Schwelb, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
David Kendall Esq., Williams & Connolly
Kent Jones Esq., Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan

2004–Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 by William Shakespeare

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Judge Merrick B. Garland, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Gladys Kessler, United States District Court for D.C

Advocates
Robert A. Long, Covington & Burling
Charles A. Rothfeld, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw

2003 – Richard III by William Shakespeare

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States
Chief Judge Harry T. Edwards (ret.), United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Advocates
The Honorable Walter E. Dellinger III
The Honorable Kenneth W. Starr

2001 – King Lear by William Shakespeare

Bench
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Anthony Kennedy, Supreme Court of the United States

Advocates
Louis Cohen, Wilmer Cutler & Pickering
Margaret Pfeiffer, Sullivan & Cromwell

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