Carroll Political Science Newsletter - Winter 2025
Moot Court Reboot
After a seven-year hiatus, Carroll College is excited to relaunch its Moot Court team in the fall of 2025. This popular undergraduate activity provides valuable experience for students considering law school, offering opportunities to participate in undergraduate regional competitions involving legal advocacy. To support the return of Moot Court, we will be fundraising as part of Saints Giving Day on March 20-21, 2025. We invite you to contribute and help revitalize this important initiative!
Professor Kristine D. Kuenzli, J.D., will serve as the coach for Carroll College's Moot Court team. An adjunct instructor at Carroll, she previously spent nine years teaching in the Department of Law at the United States Air Force Academy, where she instructed cadets in courses such as Law for Air Force Officers, National Security Law, and Law and Economics. She also was a mentor and judge for the Moot Court and Trial Advocacy teams at USAFA.
A graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law, Professor Kuenzli competed in the National Moot Court Competition, where she was on the second-place regional team and earned Best Oralist honors for the Northwest Region. She is excited to serve as the Moot Court coach for Carroll College during the fall 2025 competition season.
To prepare for competition, Moot Court is being offered as a course this spring semester. Interest is high, and students are eager to participate!
Alumni Profile: Victoria “Tori” Nickol ’16
“It is hard to fathom that nearly a decade has passed since I was a student at Carroll. Since then, I have graduated from law school, worked at every level of the federal judiciary, and started a legal career in public service. My time at Carroll was crucial to each step.”
~ Tori Nickol '16
A Helena native, Tori graduated summa cum laude through the Honors Scholars Program with a major in Political Science and minors in English Writing and Constitutional Studies. A 400-meter hurdler and track team captain, she also earned the Apgar Foundation fellowship and the Bishop Gilmore Award for Outstanding Scholarship.
“Tori continues to make us proud,” said Dr. Alex Street. “She was an exceptional student and has been generous in advising Carroll students interested in legal careers. With our small classes, we really get to know our students, and seeing them succeed is one of the great pleasures of our work.”
After earning her J.D. with high honors from the University of Montana, Tori clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court in Montana before joining a private law practice. She recently completed a fellowship at the Supreme Court of the United States, working in the Office of the Counselor to the Chief Justice.
During her fellowship, she attended over twenty Supreme Court oral arguments, explored historic institutions, and met people from around the world.
“I can honestly say I never lost the feeling of awe when walking into the Supreme Court every day. There were moments of magic: I was verklempt when seeing the Court’s library for the first time and when being sworn into the Supreme Court Bar. There were moments of magnitude: it was surreal to sit in the courtroom on non-argument days as the Court announced its decisions from the bench. And there were moments of missing Montana: I savored every minute of my time in D.C. and at the Court, and I contemplated staying in D.C., at least for awhile. But ultimately, being away from Montana only made me more certain that I wanted my next step to be towards home.”
Read more about her fellowship experience here.
In the fall of 2024, Tori began as an Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to the Indian Country Unit of the Criminal Division, prosecuting violent crime and general offenses.
“My recent experiences reinforced a core value from a mentor: the rule of law is something we all do together. I hope my work as a federal prosecutor serves as my contribution to something greater than myself—the kind of purpose Carroll taught me to strive for.”
The Carroll College Exit Poll
Students of Dr. Street’s PO-312 Elections, Political Parties, and Public Opinion class continued the decade-long tradition of conducting an in-depth exit poll during the 2024 General Election. This poll included both an in-person exit poll in Lewis and Clark County and a mail survey in Park County. Students led the charge with the help of Dr. Street to develop research questions and conduct in-person polling, gaining hands-on experience with the intersection of politics and academics. These polls were used within different hypothesis-driven research papers for students to learn about the voting patterns of Montana citizens.
Some of the most interesting questions researched by the class investigated “negative voting,” split-ticket voting, and the impact of different backgrounds on voters. Key findings revealed that Independents and those without party preference were more likely to vote against rather than for a candidate. Voting patterns among veterans showed Tim Sheehy’s support among this group largely reflected party alignment. Additionally, results showcased how gender and education shaped voting preferences in the Presidential election, with Kamala Harris receiving stronger support from women and more educated voters. Read the full release on the findings and additional student comments here.
Perspectives & Discussions: Featured Lectures & Panels
Throughout the semester, Carroll College hosted a variety of engaging lectures and panels, offering students and the community opportunities to explore important political, legal, and historical topics. These events brought together experts and leaders to foster thoughtful discussion and deeper understanding of key issues.
Constitution Day Lecture
On September 18, 2024, Carroll College hosted its annual Constitution Day panel, featuring all four candidates for the Montana Supreme Court. The discussion provided a dynamic exchange on constitutional issues related to the judiciary. The event drew a full house, with students and Helena community members filling Simperman Auditorium to learn more about the candidates and their perspectives.
Communities in Conflict
On October 10, 2024, Father Patrick Beretta, chair of the Carroll College Board of Trustees, organized a panel, “Communities in Conflict—What Butte History Can Tell Us About Overcoming Polarization: Labor, Land, and Politics” at the Butte Cultural Heritage Center. Dr. Jeremy Johnson, the Chair of the Carroll College Department of Political Science and International Relations participated on the panel along with Jim Keane, former State Legislator and Clayton Elliott, Conservation & Government Affairs Director for Trout Unlimited. You can view the discussion here (Dr. Johnson’s portion begins at 23:20) and the Q&A here.
Montana Constitutional Initiatives Panel
The Office of Institutional Advancement and the Department of Political Science and International Relations organized a pre-election panel on October 16 to provide students and the community with information on proposed amendments 126 and 127 which involved proposals about reshaping primary and general election rules in Montana.
The panel featured Dr. Street (Political Science & International Relations) and Dr. Fregulia (History) as well as experts on a pair of constitutional amendments that, if passed, would have changed Montana’s primary election system. The external experts included David Hunter, a consultant for the National Democratic Institute, David Oclander, the state co-leader for Veterans for Montana Voters, and Dr. Allison Dale-Riddle, a political consultant who advises Montanans for Election Reform.