Senate Judiciary Committee Clerkship Interview Forum

[St0pI'mC0nfused]

So, I have an interview in a couple weeks with a senate member's chief counsel for a law clerk position. And I was wondering what questions are generally asked in such an interview beyond the normal interview questions (i.e. "What are your strengths vs. weaknesses," "I see you did X," etc.). I anticipate questions regarding issues currently pending before the committee (and its subcommittees that the sentor is a part of), as well as recent controversial U.S. Supreme Court opinions, and, maybe, recent nominations. Am I on the right track? Since my previous experience has been as a judicial clerk, I am a little out of my element and want to make sure I am prepping with the right materials. Any response is greatly appreciated; TLS has certainly been very helpful in the past. Oh, and while I could not seem to find an answer to my question after some research among the index, please feel free to point me in another thread's direction if I missed it. Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

This is for a full-time position, not a summer internship, right?
(I'm assuming so because you said you were previously a judicial clerk. If you're still in law school, and it's just for a summer gig, it'll be a normal interview. But also, hopefully you aren't saying you were judicial clerk on your resume if you were a judicial intern.)

All of my hill experience was before law school and not in a committee office, but I imagine it'll mostly be a normal interview. Rather than recent Supreme Court opinions (you're not litigating/practicing), I'd look at the committee work -- what has the committee been doing, what kinds of papers/press releases/press conferences/legislation have they been working on? Having a solid handle on judicial nominations process (and politics) is critical. Know the rules, and the customs, around nominations, and read up on the recent "nuclear option" debates.

Depending on whether the senator is in the majority or minority will matter a great deal in terms of what kind of work you'll be doing.

Know a lot about the senator him/herself, the legislation they've recently written in the committee, etc. Probably less important to know about the senator's home state, but ties or interest/knowledge of the home state never hurts.

[Anonymous User]

This is for a full-time position, not a summer internship, right?
(I'm assuming so because you said you were previously a judicial clerk. If you're still in law school, and it's just for a summer gig, it'll be a normal interview. But also, hopefully you aren't saying you were judicial clerk on your resume if you were a judicial intern.)

You are correct, I am a judicial clerk not an intern. Regarding your other question, honestly, I am not sure. My application was submitted based on a telephone conversation with his office and then chief counsel. He did not post the position. All I know is that it is full-time and begins this Sept; however, I am preparing for either eventuality. Even if it is a fall internship, unless I am advised otherwise, I believe the position would be worth it (I'm thinking worse case scenario would be that I network poorly and am only employeed for a few months).

[St0pI'mC0nfused]

For some reason (and someone can correct me if I'm just being a noob), I cannot reply to pms. So, while advice by pms is certainly welcomed, please pm me at: LSGquestions@gmail.com. Thank you all for your help.