The second edition of the SXM Moot Court Competition was won by St. Dominic High School. They won the first edition of this competition in 2016 as well, making this its second win in a row. During the Moot Court Competition, students of various local high schools went head to head and showed their skills in the courtroom.

The teams were coached by attorneys at law of different local law firms. Daniëlla Engelhardt, associate at VANEPS, and Shaira Bommel, associate at Sulvaran & Peterson, had the honor to coach the winning team. 

All students had two months to prepare their cases. During these preparations, they were supported by their coaches. This year’s case was complex and based on international criminal law as applied by the International Court of Justice seated in The Hague. In January 2018, the winning team will represent St. Maarten in the International high school Moot Court competition in the Netherlands. There, they will compete against the winning teams from 18 other countries.

Funding is available to send three students to The Hague, but considering that delegations may consist of as many as eight students, the SXM Moot Court Foundation calls on sponsors to make it possible to send five more students to the Netherlands.

Local newspaper The Daily Herald wrote an extensive article on the Mout Court Competition in St. Maarten that you can read here.