For the first time in recent memory, the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law fielded a full team at the Isaac Moot, of which the Appellant team of Quinn Thomas (3L) and Talia David (3L) emerged as champions and brought the Isaac Moot Cup home to Winnipeg. Team members Thomas and Apara Grace (2L) were also both nominees for the “Spirit of the Moot” award, which goes to an individual who best exemplifies the late Justice Isaac’s passion for diversity and social justice by advancing the most innovative and compelling critical race theory argument.

Coaches Michael Badejo [JD/22] (Fillmore Riley), Deborah Yeboah (TDS), and Chimwemwe Undi [BA/16; JD/20] (TDS), worked with Thomas and David, Kira Wardrop (2L), Grace, (Respondent team), and team researcher Kennedee Hills (3L).

Thomas described the Moot as focusing on “an area of the law in which issues of equity and diversity arise and requires law students to incorporate elements of critical race theory into their arguments.”

Talia David presents her argument for the Appellant team while her teammate Quinn Thomas listens. Fellow Manitoba team members Kennedee Hills and Kira Wardrop listen in the row behind. Photo credit: Blessing Uja, BLSAC.

The unique aspect of this Moot, Thomas explained, is that “allows students to explore both theoretical and doctrinal arguments in a way that few Canadian moots do. The thrust of a doctrinal argument must be rooted in reference to traditional legal authorities, whereas the thrust of a theoretical argument is normative – it concerns what Canadian law should be, not what it is.”

This year’s Moot problem required students to look at issues underlying the current test for racial profiling using as the foundation of the problem, the majority and dissent rulings of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal in R v Ali, 2023 SKCA 127.

The 18^th Annual Isaac Moot made history with the largest number of participants since the Moot first started in 2008. The Moot is entirely organized by the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada, and this year, 26 teams from 15 Canadian law schools and a first-ever team from the United States of America took part.

Judges for the final round, before whom Thomas and David had the opportunity to present oral submissions, were The Honourable Justice Mahmud Jamal, Supreme Court of Canada; Chief Justice Michael H. Tulloch, Ontario Court of Appeal; and Associate Chief Justice Aston J. Hall, Ontario Court of Justice.

Moot Champions with Final Round Judges, left to right: Talia David, Justice Mahmud Jamal (SCC); Chief Justice Michael H. Tulloch (OCA); Associate Chief Justice Aston J. Hall (OCJ); Quinn Thomas. Photo credit: Blessing Uja, BLSAC.

For students wishing to compete in the Isaac Moot, no prerequisite courses are needed, and this year’s team described the experience as a ‘learn as you go’ endeavour. In a LinkedIn post, David thanked the team’s three coaches, saying, “Our growth over the past few months is largely due to their encouragement, feedback, and unwavering support. I am also very grateful for the guest judges who took the time out of their extremely busy schedules to attend our practices, our judges in the preliminary rounds of the Moot, and the rest of the Manitoba team. I also want to thank Professor Amar Khoday for taking the time to sit down with our team and have an open discussion about Critical Race Theory.”

Being paired with a team member who is a good partner was also an important factor to mooting success. David added in her post, “Lastly, I owe the biggest thank you to my co-counsel, Quinn Thomas. I am extremely fortunate to have been paired with someone who constantly pushed me, checked in on me, and with whom I was always completely in sync. I could not have asked for a better partner.”

Quinn Thomas and Talia David with the Isaac Moot Cup.

For more about this Moot, please read the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada Julius Alexander Isaac Moot Magazine.