On Plan Clerkships 2011 Forum

[traydeuce]

And the Texas list is bizarre too, actually - all those 5th Cir. judges in Texas and they only heard from Prado and Southwick? While this other guy's school heard from Owen, Jones and Haynes? What about Higginbotham, King, Garza, Smith, Elrod...

[Anonymous User]

I'm thinking more calls are coming because there are tons of judges and areas not mentioned yet.

[treant985]

Maybe GTL can answer: what day of the week is 'call day' normally? Last yr it was a Monday, scheduling interviews for that same week. This yr, obviously, it was a Friday, scheduling interviews for the next week. Does it just depend on the calendar?

[traydeuce]

I'm thinking more calls are coming because there are tons of judges and areas not mentioned yet.

Keep in mind that not everyone dashes to tell their OCS who called them. It's just impossible that Texas has heard, or only will hear, from Southwick and Prado, so either a huge number of 5th Cir. judges are slow or this list is inaccurately short. The list above the Texas list has a bunch of 5th Cir. judges who have hired UT students, so it's probably the latter. Besides which, it's hard to imagine that a circuit that punches its weight in hiring t14 and HYS clerks would wait until the next week to make calls.

[Anonymous User]

And the Texas list is bizarre too, actually - all those 5th Cir. judges in Texas and they only heard from Prado and Southwick? While this other guy's school heard from Owen, Jones and Haynes? What about Higginbotham, King, Garza, Smith, Elrod...

Plenty of 5th Circuit judges hire from non-Texas schools. Plus, several judges you list have been done for weeks if not months.

Based on what I know from talking to the top of the class people still on the market at a T-14, these lists look pretty much spot on. A lot of people have seriously underestimated how competitive the current clerkship market is.

[Anonymous User]

And the Texas list is bizarre too, actually - all those 5th Cir. judges in Texas and they only heard from Prado and Southwick? While this other guy's school heard from Owen, Jones and Haynes? What about Higginbotham, King, Garza, Smith, Elrod...

Plenty of 5th Circuit judges hire from non-Texas schools. Plus, several judges you list have been done for weeks if not months.

Based on what I know from talking to the top of the class people still on the market at a T-14, these lists look pretty much spot on. A lot of people have seriously underestimated how competitive the current clerkship market is.

They all hire from non-Texas schools, but a great many of them hire one or two clerks from Texas, and even more, you'd have to assume, interview a few people from Texas. I think the list is just underinclusive.

[Anonymous User]

Here's the list from my school (T14) of judges that had been heard from by the end of the day on Friday.


Circuit Courts
Wesley, USCA 2
Chin, USCA 2
Lohier, USCA 2
Gregory, USCA 4
Niemeyer, USCA 4
Owen, USCA 5
Jones, USCA 5
Prado, USCA 5
Haynes, USCA 5
Boggs, USCA 6
Clay, USCA 6
Rogers, USCA 6
Kethledge, USCA 6
Nelson Moore, USCA 6
Kanne, USCA 7
Colloton, USCA 8
Loken, USCA 8
Gould, USCA 9 (has also already hired 1 3L off-plan)
Bea, USCA 9
Tymkovich, USCA 10
Seventh Circuit Staff Attorney’s Office

Several of these judges have been done for weeks.

Yeah, Kethledge sent out an email a few weeks ago saying he was done. Tymkovitch was done early in the summer.

[constable]

I'm thinking more calls are coming because there are tons of judges and areas not mentioned yet.

Keep in mind that not everyone dashes to tell their OCS who called them. It's just impossible that Texas has heard, or only will hear, from Southwick and Prado, so either a huge number of 5th Cir. judges are slow or this list is inaccurately short. The list above the Texas list has a bunch of 5th Cir. judges who have hired UT students, so it's probably the latter. Besides which, it's hard to imagine that a circuit that punches its weight in hiring t14 and HYS clerks would wait until the next week to make calls.

Only interested in district judges here.

[traydeuce]

Some of them move slower, but we really can't infer from a lack of information about a certain judge on TLS, or UT's list that was compiled at the close of business on Friday, that they haven't made calls.

[traydeuce]

Some of them move slower, but we really can't infer from a lack of information about a certain judge on TLS, or UT's list that was compiled at the close of business on Friday, that they haven't made calls.

Right. Also consider the fact that lots of 5th and 11th Cir. judges hired people early. Many of the no-shows on these lists might not have called because they are already finished hiring for '12.

Well I was responding to Constable's "only concerned with district judges" remark. I'm pretty sure, though, that Elrod, King, Jolly, Garza, Hull, Tjoflat, Dennis, Carnes, and Stewart aren't done, so I suspect some underreporting on these lists.

[Anonymous User]

For parlays, what chambers number should we be using (i.e. call the assistant)? For a few judges I am pulling up several numbers. Thanks!

[traydeuce]

For parlays, what chambers number should we be using (i.e. call the assistant)? For a few judges I am pulling up several numbers. Thanks!

One thing is for sure - call his chambers and not his phone number in the town where he occasionally sits, if he's a COA judge. If they actually have a judge/assistant/clerks breakdown, call the assistant, who will kindly take your name and number down and pass on the information to the judge. Occasionally the assistant passes you to a clerk, but I wouldn't try to start there.

[Anonymous User]

Carnes has been done for months....

[Anonymous User]

Some of them move slower, but we really can't infer from a lack of information about a certain judge on TLS, or UT's list that was compiled at the close of business on Friday, that they haven't made calls.

Right. Also consider the fact that lots of 5th and 11th Cir. judges hired people early. Many of the no-shows on these lists might not have called because they are already finished hiring for '12.

Well I was responding to Constable's "only concerned with district judges" remark. I'm pretty sure, though, that Elrod, King, Jolly, Garza, Hull, Tjoflat, Dennis, Carnes, and Stewart aren't done, so I suspect some underreporting on these lists.

Elrod's done and has even begun filling 2013-14 slots. Jolly's filled his interview schedule.

[traydeuce]

Well, I guess I'm mistaken. In any event, it just goes to show that the very patchy quality of these lists doesn't mean anything. That's too bad about Elrod, who I think is young enough and smart enough to get some SCOTUS consideration one day - possibly sooner than one would think. Rick Perry, probably our next President, made her a state court judge. (But the Texan who I would really bank on getting placed on the Court at some point is Ted Cruz, a super-SCOTUS advocate who ran Morgan Lewis's appellate practice, was Texas's SG, clerked for Luttig and Rehnquist, and is now running for the Senate. He's Hispanic and only 41.)

[Anonymous User]

Well, I guess I'm mistaken. In any event, it just goes to show that the very patchy quality of these lists doesn't mean anything. That's too bad about Elrod, who I think is young enough and smart enough to get some SCOTUS consideration one day - possibly sooner than one would think. Rick Perry, probably our next President, made her a state court judge. (But the Texan who I would really bank on getting placed on the Court at some point is Ted Cruz, a super-SCOTUS advocate who ran Morgan Lewis's appellate practice, was Texas's SG, clerked for Luttig and Rehnquist, and is now running for the Senate. He's Hispanic and only 41.)

Elrod? Really? I mean, I'm sure she's great--you don't become an Art. III judge without being respected--but I don't think the recent 5th circuit nominees (Elrod, Owen, Haynes) will get bumped to the Court. I also wouldn't expect any of these judges to get a national reputation the way someone like Jones has.

[traydeuce]

Well, I guess I'm mistaken. In any event, it just goes to show that the very patchy quality of these lists doesn't mean anything. That's too bad about Elrod, who I think is young enough and smart enough to get some SCOTUS consideration one day - possibly sooner than one would think. Rick Perry, probably our next President, made her a state court judge. (But the Texan who I would really bank on getting placed on the Court at some point is Ted Cruz, a super-SCOTUS advocate who ran Morgan Lewis's appellate practice, was Texas's SG, clerked for Luttig and Rehnquist, and is now running for the Senate. He's Hispanic and only 41.)

Elrod? Really? I mean, I'm sure she's great--you don't become an Art. III judge without being respected--but I don't think the recent 5th circuit nominees (Elrod, Owen, Haynes) will get bumped to the Court. I also wouldn't expect any of these judges to get a national reputation the way someone like Jones has.

Jones is way too conservative to survive a confirmation fight (same for Owen), and at this point, too old. You can become an Article III judge without having that much on the ball. My reasoning is that the next Republican President will want to nominate a woman, should Ginsburg leave during his time in office, and outside of Sykes, there aren't a lot of great choices. Who else even is there? Ikuta? Livingston? I don't know that Livingston is conservative enough. And I'm sure that Perry would love to appoint a Texan, or more generally just a Southerner. Outside of Thomas, we haven't had a Southerner on the Court since Powell left. Before that, you have to go back to the Justice whom Powell replaced, Hugo Black. Elrod is really quite sharp, sharp enough that no one would question her ability. I don't think she's much less qualified than, say, Alito, who wasn't some superstar on the Third Circuit.

[Anonymous User]

Quick question about interview slots. Does anyone know how long a judge schedules one interview for? Is it 30 mins or 1 hour or does it just depend on the judge?

I know there's nothing I can do about it but I'm just curious to figure out what number interviewee I am if they start at 10:00am (if judges still follow the plan at this point). Also want to know how close I'll be cutting it with other interviews that day.

[traydeuce]

Quick question about interview slots. Does anyone know how long a judge schedules one interview for? Is it 30 mins or 1 hour or does it just depend on the judge?

I know there's nothing I can do about it but I'm just curious to figure out what number interviewee I am if they start at 10:00am (if judges still follow the plan at this point). Also want to know how close I'll be cutting it with other interviews that day.

You're always supposed to ask that when you schedule. So I have a 2:00 videoconference and a 4:30 interview back home; I couldn't have scheduled the 4:30 had I thought the 2:00 might have been an epic examination. I even asked the 4:30 how long they were in case parlaying opportunities materialized later in the day. Lengths can vary from 30 minutes to 2 hours, with 45-60 minutes probably being most typical. One can often guess based on the personality of the judge, but I wouldn't suggest guessing. Also keep in mind that clerks like to talk to interviewees, and that those talks can run anywhere from 10 minutes to 40, maybe more (but 40's the most that I've seen in the chambers where I worked).

[Anonymous User]

For those of us with district court judge interviews, what can we expect as far as questions? I know this will vary depending on the judge, but do you guys think it will be as rigorous as a circuit court judge interview? lots of substantive legal questions/specific case questions etc? I'm trying to figure out how to prep.

[Anonymous User]

My three off plan interviews this year ranged were 45 minutes (even split between the judge and the clerk), 1:05 or so (50 minutes with the clerks and 15 minutes with the judge), and 1:50 (50 minutes with the judge and an hour with the clerks -- I'll hear about this one this week and am cautiously optimistic).

[Anonymous User]

COA call just a couple of minutes ago. I don't think all calls are done.

[Anonymous User]

I received an email from a Judge's Chambers with no message but with the subject line basically saying "regarding your application". Is this a rejection email?

[Anonymous User]

I received an email from a Judge's Chambers with no message but with the subject line basically saying "regarding your application". Is this a rejection email?

Checked for an attached image of the judge flipping you off?

[Anonymous User]

Any word on Central Illinois District Judges?