For those of you in the D.C. Libertarian community, you will know that there are two Ilyas.

Ilya Shapiro, a Senior Fellow of Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute, and Ilya Somin, a Professor at George Mason School of Law. Both are Libertarians. Both are Russian. Both have the same last initial. They often get confused, but they are nothing alike.

To resolve this name-game between these two brains, last year I hosted a trivia battle, dubbed the Battle of the Ilyas. Shapiro was victorious. Ilya Shapiro has dutifully enjoyed his one-year reign as the undisputed Ilya of Washington, D.C. However, his term ends on November 24, 2010. Thus, it is time to fight again–Round Two of the Battle of the Ilyas began this evening.

I just sent both Shapiro and Somin a 25-question quiz, based on the Judicial Clerkship Knowledge Quiz of the Honorable Danny J. Boggs.

After the parties complete the written component, we will record a podcast with several oral questions. Following the oral component, I will announce the winner of the 2nd Annual Battle of the Ilyas competition (and I gather Justice Kagan, and not Justice Scalia, will get the reference in the title of this post.)

May the best Ilya win!

For those of you who wish to play at home, here are the questions. Please post your scores in the comment thread, though I admonish both Ilyas not to cheat!

1. What or where was:

a. Tammany Hall;
b. Locksley Hall?
c. Thomas Nast?

2. Distinguish:
a. Tad Weed
b. Thurlow Weed
c. Shannon Tweed

3. Who were Philemon and Baucis?

4. In what field were Yousuf Karsh, Edward Steichen and Eugene Atget noted?

5. What is the capital of:
a. Belarus?
b. Bulgaria?
c. Belgium?

6. Of what countries are the following cities the capitals:
a. Kinshasa?
b. Harare?
c. Katmandu?

7. Who wrote Everything That Rises Must Converge?

8. Why are these ships famous?

a. The Beagle
b. The Merrimac
c. The Argo

9. What was an earlier name for:

a. Central African Republic?
b. United Arab Republic?
c. Sri Lanka?

10. Name two women heads of national governments?

11. Who were:

a. the Meiji?
b. The Ainu?
c. hoi polloi?

12. Who wrote Law’s Empire?

13. What was decided or discussed at conferences in:

a. San Francisco?
b. Bandung?
c. Wannsee?

14. Who was:
a. the March King?
b. The Virgin Queen?
c. The Plumed Knight?

15. Name one work by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

16. Who were:
a. The “Inklings”?
b. The “Apostles”?
c. The Futurians”?

17. Name two speakers of the House of Representatives in the 19th century.

18. Who was John Von Neumann?

19. Name one Rogers & Hammerstein song.

20. Who succeeded Thabo Mbeki?

21. Name one poem by Robert Browning.

22. About what did Lafcadio Hearn write?

23. When was Julius Caesar murdered (within ten years)?

24. Who was the Wasp of Twickenham?

25. Who fought at the Battle of Sedan, and who won?