Supreme Court Overview
HS Only | Grades 10-12
1 team of up to 3 students per delegation
Program Coordinator
Jim Recktenwald | jim@kyymca.org
2024 Supreme Court Resources
Resources for students in our Supreme Court program area. If you have any questions, please contact Program Coordinator Jim Recktenwald at jim@kyymca.org:
- Supreme Court Case Record Family Dollar v Baytos (1 of 3)
- Supreme Court Case Supporting Documents- Family Dollar v Baytos (2 of 3)
- Supreme Court Case Materials (3 of 3)
- Overview of Kentucky Courts
- Glossary of Court Terms
- Judicial Analysis IRAC Worksheet
- Oral Argument Guide
- Oral Argument Sample Outline
- Sample Scoring Sheet
- Court Procedure Script
There are a limited number of Supreme Court teams at each KYA, reserved on a first-come, first-served basis when delegations submit their KYA Intent Forms. Delegations that successfully reserve a team will be asked to confirm their participation, and those wishing to drop must notify Y-Staff at least 30 days prior to their assembly.
The Supreme Court Program is a moot court competition where students serve as attorneys presenting oral arguments before the KYA Supreme Court, made up of 7 student Justices. Working in teams of up to 3 students (1 team per delegation) delegates prepare oral arguments to present before both legal professionals (Hotel) and student Justices (Supreme Court Chamber in State Capitol) on Day 2 of KYA.
When not presenting oral arguments, delegates advise the Attorney General on the constitutionality of bills passed by the House and Senate. These Advisory Opinions will be presented to the Governor when reviewing bills to sign or veto.
Disclaimer: This program will be held In-Person (no matter what) and Virtual (as long as registration numbers show interest)
Program Area Roles
A comprehensive Role Guide is available for each of the following delegate roles and officer positions on the KYA Resources page
Delegate Roles
- Attorneys (teams of 1-3) | 1 Team per delegation (limited spaces)
Presiding Officers
Delegations must intent and register for the conference of which their Presiding Officer is elected/appointed.
- Attorney General | Chosen from Program Area
- Chief Justice | Chosen from Program Area
Supporting Officers
Clerk of the Supreme Court | APPOINTED by Chief Justice
- Justices (6 per KYA) | Application Based (see directions below)
- Assistant Editors (4 per KYA) | Application Based (see directions below)
HOW TO APPLY FOR A JUSTICE OR ASSISTANT EDITOR ROLE:
Application period closes on September 5, 2024 at midnight.
To apply, you must log in through our new (yet temporary) log in portal. If you have NOT logged in this way before you will need to create a new username/password then fill out an info form before can apply for a Supporting Officer role. After you finish the info form, log back in and select, "STUDENT: Register for a program" Then "KYA Supporting Officer Application". For a step by step to the login portal, click here.
If accepted as a Supporting Officer, you are required to attend a virtual training on Saturday, October 13, 2024 fro 12 p.m. to 3 p.m..EST. If you cannot attend this training, you may not be able to serve in your SO Role. This application is only open for a set period of time:
Decisions Announced: September 13, 2024
Assembly Agenda
The agenda below provides a brief overview of the program area at KYA. For a full description of roles and responsibilities, please review the Role Guides and Program Area Resources on the KYA Resources page.
Day 1 | Program Area Meeting
All Supreme Court delegates meet the Justices and Program Coordinator to review the agenda, oral argument schedule, constitutionality room process, and other program components.
Day 1 | Professional Mentorship
Attorney Teams have the opportunity to work directly with law students, attorneys, and legal professionals in preparation for their oral arguments.
Day 2 | Oral Arguments at the Capitol
Attorney Teams will have several opportunities to present oral arguments against teams from other delegations in front of both KYA Justices as well as volunteer legal professionals. Teams will present oral arguments both at the hotel as well as at the Capitol, with the order depending on which tag (Red/Blue) your delegation is assigned.
Day 2 | Constitutionality Room
When Attorneys are not presenting oral arguments, they will work with the Attorney General in the Constitutionality Room to draft advisory opinions on the constitutionality of legislation in the Commonwealth House and Senate. If a bill is passed by both the House and Senate, the Attorney General will present the advisory opinion on that bill to the Governor.
Day 3 | Oral Argument Showcase
Beginning with the 2022 KYA season, all Supreme Court program rounds will be heard and scored by student justices. The Chief Justice and 2-3 Associate Justices will hear rounds in Supreme Court Chambers at the Capitol. A separate panel of Associate Justices will preside over an additional courtroom space in the Capitol (Associate Justices will switch between the Supreme Court Chamber and the other chamber). This means all participants in the Supreme Court program will travel to the Capitol in the morning and spend their whole day of programming there. They will have lunch in the Capitol cafeteria. A schedule of rounds will be available to advisors to help them plan times to observe their student attorneys when their school's assigned Tag is present at the Capitol.