Oral Argument in High-Profile Eighth Circuit Case
In September, WashU Law’s Appellate Clinic kicked off its year with an oral argument in the Eighth Circuit in a high-profile defamation case involving precedent-setting questions about interlocutory appellate jurisdiction and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. 3L Caleb Rogers presented the oral argument on behalf of the plaintiff to a panel of three federal appellate judges. He earned repeated congratulations from opposing counsel, the Solicitor General of Missouri. Caleb was supported by 3Ls Jeremiah Price and Ana Son. The case was briefed by Clinic students Geremia Lizier-Zmudzinski, Phung-Ha Nguyen, and Jessica Sobel in the spring 2026 semester.
Clinic Secures Client’s Right to Appeal
This year’s clinic students have built on the success of past semesters. In April, Judge Stephen H. Locher of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa granted the Clinic’s motion under Rule 60(b) to restore a Clinic client’s right to appeal. The previous semester, Clinic students Jaden Lanza and Ashrakat Hassan, with support from Zachary Irovando, had argued the motion in a virtual hearing. Judge Locher concluded the hearing by remarking: “I do want to make sure to point out how much I appreciate and how much I was impressed by the performance of the law students in the argument today. . . . [T]he bottom line: I was really impressed.” As the case progressed, subsequent Clinic teams in the spring and fall 2026 semesters submitted briefs to the Eighth Circuit, where the appeal remains pending.
Student Argues Habeas Appeal Before Sixth Circuit
Also in April, Advanced Appellate Clinic student Finley Cobb argued a complex habeas appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit at the federal courthouse in Detroit. Finley’s argument took place two weeks before his law-school graduation. At the conclusion of the argument, Judge Chad A. Readler commended both sides for a “well argued” case.
Amicus Briefs Influence High-Profile Appellate Cases
Over the past year, Clinic students have also been hard at work on amicus briefs, participating in some of the most influential cases pending in appellate courts. For example, in the spring of 2026, Clinic students Emma Moore, Christopher Murphy, and Phung-Ha Nguyen prepared an amicus brief for the League of Women Voters of Missouri in a high-profile redistricting case before the Missouri Supreme Court. And more recently, Clinic students Balin Hanson and Ana Son submitted an amicus brief on behalf of the Cato Institute to the Fourth Circuit in an appeal involving novel questions around the Fourth Amendment’s privacy protections.
The Appellate Clinic is directed by Steve Alagna.
