The Georgetown University Law Center moved for dismissal of an age discrimination lawsuit April 8.

U.S District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle heard arguments on the case Nicholas Spaeth v. Georgetown University, which pits the university against Spaeth — the former attorney general of North Dakota — who claims that the Law Center rejected his professorship application because of his age.

Attorneys for the Law Center had previously filed a motion for summary judgment on Feb. 1 asserting that the university had non-discriminatory reasons for not hiring Spaeth.

William Nussbaum of the firm Hogan Lovells, which represented the university, argued that language that indicated a preference for “young” candidates referred not to age but to newness to professorship. He further accused Spaeth’s attorneys of manipulating language to attempt to prove the university’s purported discrimination.

Lynn Bernabei of Bernabei & Wachtel, attorneys for the plaintiff, countered that the university was remiss in not hiring Spaeth, who taught tax law as an adjunct at the University of Missouri, when they specifically sought tax law experts. The issue of the importance of legal scholarship was also at hand.

No ruling was issued and it remains unclear as to when Huvelle would hand down her decision.