AJU's 18th Annual Biblical Trial: Moses v. Children of Israel

AJU's 18th Annual Biblical Trial

Sunday at 9:30AM PDT

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AJU’s Biblical Trial returns to the AJU campus! Join us as the jury and cast your vote in the case of Moses v. The Children of Israel, as esteemed attorneys work their sides of the case in this annual AJU tradition.

Moderated by Rabbi Ed Feinstein, we will watch in suspense and question if the defendant’s clients are up to no good again. Laurie Levenson will be the plaintiff’s attorney, but don't count the defendants out! As always, the brilliant Erwin Chemerinsky will be there to defend their actions. The Honorable Arthur Gilbert will be presiding over the court proceedings.

The topic for this year is Moses v. Children of Israel. The law defines elder abuse as the physical or emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment, or exploitation of a victim 65 years of age or older. We have decided to prosecute the Children of Israel for elder abuse, neglect, and abandonment of Moses.

We look forward to seeing you in the courtroom!

AJU's COVID COMPLIANCE RULES: All visitors to the AJU campus will be asked to show proof of vaccination prior to being admitted to the venue.

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Laurie L. Levenson is a Professor of Law and David W. Burcham Chair in Ethical Advocacy at Loyola Law School. She is also the founder of Loyola’s Project for the Innocent. Professor Levenson teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, ethics, trial advocacy and evidence and has authored numerous books and articles on criminal law. She is also the author of Judaism and Criminal Justice (Oxford Handbook of Jewish Ethics and Morality 2011) and Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices – Death Penalty (JPS 2010). Professor Levenson served for eight years as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and as Associate Dean of Loyola Law School from 1986-1989. Professor Levenson regularly provides commentary for high-profile trials and legal matters. She has appeared on CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR and international broadcasts.

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Erwin Chemerinsky is Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law.  Prior to assuming this position he was the founding dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Law, and a professor at Duke Law School, University of Southern California Law School, and DePaul Law School.  He is the author of 12 books and over 200 law review articles.  He frequently argues appellate cases, including in the United States Supreme Court.  In January 2021, he was named President-elect of the Association of American Law Schools.

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Rabbi Ed Feinstein is senior rabbi of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California. He has served on the faculty of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University since 1990 and is an instructor for the Wexner Heritage Program, lecturing widely across the United States. In 1982, Rabbi Feinstein became the founding director of the Solomon Schechter Academy of Dallas, Texas, building the school’s enrollment from 40 to over 500 in eight years, and winning national recognition as center of educational excellence. In 1990, he assumed the position of executive director of Camp Ramah in California, the largest Jewish camp and conference center in the western United States. He came to Valley Beth Shalom in 1993 at the invitation of the renowned Rabbi Harold Schulweis, whom he succeeded as the congregation’s senior rabbi in 2005. Rabbi Feinstein is a member of the board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, a member of the school board of Milken Community High School and an active member of AIPAC. A survivor of two bouts of colon cancer, he speaks frequently to cancer support groups all over Southern California.

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Justice Arthur Gilbert is the Presiding Justice of Division 6 of the California Court of Appeal, Second District. He has been a judge for the past 46 years, previously serving on the Los Angeles Municipal and Superior Courts. Dubbed "The Court of Appeal’s poet laureate,” Justice Gilbert’s articles and columns have appeared in various publications across the United States, including his popular column turned book “Under Submission” which has been featured in The Los Angeles Daily Journal for over three decades.

Among his many accolades and awards, Judge Gilbert was named "Appellate Justice of the Year" by the Consumer Lawyers of California in 1984, 1993, and 1997, received the Outstanding Jurist Award, Los Angeles County Bar Association 2016, and is a past recipient of the Bernard S. Jefferson Award. He is a fellow of the Witkin Legal Institute and has lectured to judges throughout California and Eastern Europe on American jurisprudence. 

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