Harvard invites national-champion Â鶹´«Ă˝AVDebate Team for the Ivy League school’s Magna Carta Celebration next week
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Â鶹´«Ă˝AV’s national-champion debate team continues its time in the spotlight next week after accepting an invitation from Harvard Law School to participate in its Magna Carta Celebration.
Spring graduates Hannah Daniels of Huntsville, Alabama, and Devin Hutchins of Hernando join sophomore Ben and freshman Sam Harvey, both of Starkville, for the event’s Mock Collegiate Intra-Team Debate on June 17 at 1:30 p.m. CT. The four—members of MSU’s 2024 and 2025 Collegiate Debate National Championship team—will debate the topic “The Magna Carta remains a valuable guide for constraining the power of government” and join leading scholars from around the world in the daylong, virtual celebration. Those interested in viewing can find the livestream here: .
Their discussion honors Harvard’s recent authentication of a 1327 original Magna Carta manuscript, first discovered in 2023 in the law school library. Purchased by the Ivy League institution in 1946 for just $27.50, it’s worth millions today. The “Great Charter” is one of England’s, and the world’s, most historic legal documents which established the country’s king—the government—was not above the law. It is believed to have significantly inspired the framers of the U.S. Constitution.
“This invitation is an extraordinary honor for our entire program. We could not be more grateful to Harvard Law School,” said Brett Harvey, Â鶹´«Ă˝AVDebate Team coach. “As national champions, these students are representing both Mississippi State and collegiate debate as an institution. For them to share the stage with some of the world’s most prominent legal scholars is an unparalleled opportunity and a tribute to the accomplishments of these four and the entire university debate program.”
Â鶹´«Ă˝AVteam participant Daniels recently graduated magna cum laude in international business, while Hutchins is a summa cum laude graduate in philosophy. Brothers Ben and Sam Harvey are mathematics and biochemistry majors, respectively.
For more on Harvard Law School’s Magna Carta exhibit, visit . Information on MSU’s consecutive collegiate debate national championships can be found at /newsroom/article/2025/04/msu-claims-second-straight-collegiate-debate-national-championship.
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