The details are out on the annual National Cultural Heritage Law Moot Court Competition at DePaul College of Law in Chicago. Information and registration are available here. DePaul features one of the preeminent legal curricula about cultural property, and reliably puts out terrific programming. One such event is the annual moot court competition, for which interested volunteers and judges are always welcome. Previous topics have included the always-contentious scope of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act on cultural disputes, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment; the constitutionality of the Theft of Major Artwork Act, which was passed under the Commerce Clause; the Immunity from Seizure Act and the equitable defense of laches; and the mens rea requirement and extraterritorial application of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act.
This year's competition description is as follows:
The 2017 Competition will focus on the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA), which prohibits the taking of bald and golden eagles and eagle parts, including feathers. The competition problem will address challenges to BGEPA brought by a Native American tribe member, including a challenge under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Readers will likely find this somewhat familiar, and will likely implicate similar issues to the Rauschenberg Canyon dispute a few years ago. As before, the DePaul competition will weave timely issues into new questions.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.