Washington Legal Foundation is pleased to announce its 2010 Freedom and Justice Writing Competition. This year, law students will be asked to respond to the following prompt:
In Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. 1937 (2009) and Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 127 S. Ct. 1955 (2007), the U.S. Supreme Court issued rulings which clarified its interpretation of the standards of particularity that plaintiffs must meet when crafting civil litigation complaints. Federal legislation, such as The Notice Pleading Restoration Act of 2009, S.1504, is being considered to overturn these decisions. Explain the Court’s rulings in the two cases; assess case analysis of lower court decisions to see what impact the rulings have had, and examine the effect the repeal of Iqbal and Twombly would have on the civil litigation environment.
The winning student will have his paper published in WLF Legal Backgrounder format and widely distributed to federal and state judges; electronic and print media reporters; state attorneys general; attorneys practicing in the respective field, both in private and corporate practice, as well as influential academics.
For more information on this year’s competition, click here.
To see last year’s winning paper by Saurabh Vishnubhakat, a third year law student at Franklin Pierce Law Center, click here.