On Admission to the SCOTUS Bar

It’s done.

I am now a member of the bar admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. I have met all their experience, character and fitness requirements; Chief Justice Roberts granted the motion to admit me on Monday, 20 June 2016.

So what?

For most people, it’s not a big deal when a lawyer gets admitted to this bar; SCOTUS air is pretty rarified and not a lot of cases that apply to the Court actually get heard. Your likelihood of ever getting a case in front of the Nine Wise Ones are probably pretty low. However, when your case IS granted certiorari (i.e., the Court agrees to hear it), you need a lawyer admitted to that bar to argue it before the bench for you.

For the lawyer, it’s a very big deal indeed. This is the highest court in the United States. It’s seriously cool to be on the roster of lawyers allowed to file and argue a case here. Will I ever actually argue a SCOTUS case? I certainly hope not. But it’s nice to have this cannon in my arsenal.