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Last week, before a capacity crowd of more than 200, two pairs of competitors returned hard shots, made great saves and drove home big points. No, they weren't playing beach volleyball. These teams were debating a case at the Keedy Cup, the annual culminating event in the Law School's Moot Court competition. Third year Law students Jason DeSanto, Sarah Forster, David Perla and Dean Keller argued a case before three U.S. Court of Appeals judges in hopes of winning the prestigious Keedy Cup. After finishing with the four highest scores in the regular season, their reward was the opportunity to debate a pending Supreme Court case and face a barrage of questions from a panel consisting of First Circuit Court of Appeals Judges Stephen Breyer and Michael Boudin and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Dorothy Nelson. When the dust settled on the debate, which focused on the case Turner Broadcasting System v. the Federal Communication Commission, the team of Perla and Keller, representing the FCC, emerged victorious. "We're thrilled?this is the culmination of a year of work," said an ecstatic Perla. "It's also, I think, the culmination of what everyone wants to get out of Law School." Perla's excitement was well warranted, according to Law School Dean Colin Diver. "The Keedy Cup is the highest form of recognition we have for oral advocacy in the Law School," Diver said, introducing the competition. Forster, who the judges named best individual speaker, said preparing to debate on this level left her a bit overwhelmed. "I was nervous," she said. "I'm not normally nervous doing oral advocacy." According to Nelson, though, the competitors' jitters did not spoil four fine performances. "I have sat through a lot of moot courts, and I have to say that this one is among the very best." Breyer, who was thrust into the spotlight last year when his name appeared on President Clinton's short list of possible Supreme Court nominees, said he was "very flattered to be asked" to chair the panel of judges. With the end of the 1994 Keedy Cup comes a new year of Moot Court for the Law School, and advancement to intercollegiate competition for Perla and Keller. Not everybody gets to move on, however. One of Perla's roommates, third year Law student David Cohen, has been feeling the strain of living with a championship moot court competitor. "We've been cautious, steering wide berths around David," Cohen said. "There have been a couple of times this week when we've all wanted to just kill him."

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