Campbell Law’s Matt Couch ’24 wins ABA student writing competition
Campbell Law School’s Matthew Couch ’24 has won the American Bar Association (ABA)’s Antitrust Law Section 2023-2024 Robert Pitofsky Student Writing Competition.
Couch’s article, “A Called Third Strike: Professional Baseball’s Antitrust Exemption in a Post-Dobbs World,” was selected among entries from law students across the country. As part of the award, Couch will receive $5,000 in cash, a one-year free membership in the ABA’s Antitrust Law Section and accommodations to attend the Section’s Annual Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 10-12, 2024.
“Winning this national competition is an outstanding achievement,” said Professor Matt Sawchak, who helped Couch with his Comment and taught Couch’s antitrust class. “I’m proud of Matt for his scholarship and initiative. I look forward to seeing him receive this award in front of thousands of antitrust lawyers, judges and officials in D.C. next month.”
Originally published in Volume 45 of the Campbell Law Review, Couch’s article re-examines professional baseball’s long-standing antitrust exemption in light of the Supreme Court’s recent case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In the article, Couch argues that the stare decisis protection afforded to the antitrust exemption in the 1972 case Flood v. Kuhn was constitutional rather than statutory and could therefore be reconsidered and overturned using the Dobbs’ constitutional stare decisis framework.
“The Campbell Law Review is incredibly proud of Matt Couch for his achievement, which comes as no surprise considering his contributions to our publication during his tenure as an Articles Editor,” said Chase Freeman ‘24, editor in chief of the Campbell Law Review. “We are also grateful to him for showcasing the Campbell Law Review’s scholarship on a national stage. Congratulations Matt!”
The ABA’s Robert Pitofsky Law Student Writing Competition works to encourage and reward law student writings on antitrust law and competition law subjects of their interests. Named after the former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, the competition stretches back to 2004. Couch is Campbell Law’s first winner of the competition.
“I owe a tremendous amount of thanks to Professor Sawchak for helping me with the Comment and for teaching antitrust at Campbell,” Couch said. “I also want to thank the entire staff of the Campbell Law Review for their edits, feedback and general help in getting my Comment across home plate. Finally, I owe a great deal of thanks and gratitude to my wife, Madi, and father, Stu Couch ‘96, for their support.”