Trump Admin roles? Forum

[Anonymous User]

First year at a firm, about to leave to clerk for two years (district + non-feeder FedSoc COA). Was a minor role on my school’s FedSoc board, but am not super clued in to how admin hiring works because my entire law school career was in the Biden years.

Can you go from clerking into the admin in some role, or do you need to go back to a firm/state AG/SG office first? What did the last Trump admin look for in hiring lawyers?

[crazywafflez]

You should talk to your judges. State SG/AG groups or policy groups (like ADF) do/will feature in the admin roles, but they certainly won't be the only ones. Your judges will likely know more and have more connections. Wasn't there just recently the big fedsoc convention in DC? Or it's going to happen soon? That might be a good place to link up with some folks, too.

I think generally both sides look for folks with good credentials and some leaning signifiers to their side.

[Anonymous User]

You are late. Or, you're not Christian enough. Students who participated in ADF's ideological training bootcamps got invited to submit their resumes for Trump administration jobs at least a year ago.

[Anonymous User]

You are late. Or, you're not Christian enough. Students who participated in ADF's ideological training bootcamps got invited to submit their resumes for Trump administration jobs at least a year ago.

Yeah I'd be SOL if I was going for right this sec--but I'm looking at wrapping up my clerkships in 2026. I imagine it would just be luck of the draw if the right thing was open at that point, I assume?

You should talk to your judges. State SG/AG groups or policy groups (like ADF) do/will feature in the admin roles, but they certainly won't be the only ones. Your judges will likely know more and have more connections. Wasn't there just recently the big fedsoc convention in DC? Or it's going to happen soon? That might be a good place to link up with some folks, too.

I think generally both sides look for folks with good credentials and some leaning signifiers to their side.

Yeah that makes the most sense. Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

You are late. Or, you're not Christian enough. Students who participated in ADF's ideological training bootcamps got invited to submit their resumes for Trump administration jobs at least a year ago.

Participated in what?

[Anonymous User]

You are late. Or, you're not Christian enough. Students who participated in ADF's ideological training bootcamps got invited to submit their resumes for Trump administration jobs at least a year ago.

Participated in what?

Blackstone legal fellowship

[Anonymous User]

You are late. Or, you're not Christian enough. Students who participated in ADF's ideological training bootcamps got invited to submit their resumes for Trump administration jobs at least a year ago.

Participated in what?

Blackstone legal fellowship

https://blackstonelegalfellowship.org/

Fellows get $6k, guaranteed placement with a 1L summer internship (including federal appellate judges who want to have exclusively Christian interns), ~2-3 weeks put up in a hotel in northern Virginia for ideological training on either end of the 1L internship, connections with former fellows at firms come OCI time, individualized clerkship placement services, et cetera.

Those who are commissioned as Fellows work with a support network of ADF staff, Blackstone Fellows, and other allies to develop a career plan, identify the best job opportunities to advance that plan, craft a resume, prepare for interviews, and get connected to important allies to help you realize your goals.

No Jews or Mormons allowed, though.

[Anonymous User]

Really admins?

[Wanderingdrock]

Lol don't worry OP. With your resume, you're the one-eyed in the land of the blind. The GOP bench of qualified lawyers willing to work for this administration isn't exactly what you'd call deep. I graduated from a T-14 right around the start of the first Trump admin, and I'm not even joking when I estimate that approximately half of the "out" conservatives I knew in my graduating class ended up working for the admin, working for a congressman, or elected to something within four years.

[Anonymous User]

You are late. Or, you're not Christian enough. Students who participated in ADF's ideological training bootcamps got invited to submit their resumes for Trump administration jobs at least a year ago.

Participated in what?

Blackstone legal fellowship

https://blackstonelegalfellowship.org/

Fellows get $6k, guaranteed placement with a 1L summer internship (including federal appellate judges who want to have exclusively Christian interns), ~2-3 weeks put up in a hotel in northern Virginia for ideological training on either end of the 1L internship, connections with former fellows at firms come OCI time, individualized clerkship placement services, et cetera.

Those who are commissioned as Fellows work with a support network of ADF staff, Blackstone Fellows, and other allies to develop a career plan, identify the best job opportunities to advance that plan, craft a resume, prepare for interviews, and get connected to important allies to help you realize your goals.

No Jews or Mormons allowed, though.

So what does "ideological training" entail? Just being fed an endless stream of propaganda?

[Anonymous User]

You are late. Or, you're not Christian enough. Students who participated in ADF's ideological training bootcamps got invited to submit their resumes for Trump administration jobs at least a year ago.

Participated in what?

Blackstone legal fellowship

https://blackstonelegalfellowship.org/

Fellows get $6k, guaranteed placement with a 1L summer internship (including federal appellate judges who want to have exclusively Christian interns), ~2-3 weeks put up in a hotel in northern Virginia for ideological training on either end of the 1L internship, connections with former fellows at firms come OCI time, individualized clerkship placement services, et cetera.

Those who are commissioned as Fellows work with a support network of ADF staff, Blackstone Fellows, and other allies to develop a career plan, identify the best job opportunities to advance that plan, craft a resume, prepare for interviews, and get connected to important allies to help you realize your goals.

No Jews or Mormons allowed, though.

So what does "ideological training" entail? Just being fed an endless stream of propaganda?

“two weeks of classroom training on legal philosophy, constitutional interpretation and jurisprudence, and Christian worldview development . . . Finally, students reconvene for a week of classroom instruction focused on professional development as well as training in legal and cultural engagement.“

So basically yes

[Anonymous User]

Before everyone continues to mock people for the crime of being right wing and religious, I’ll offer some anecdotal evidence. I knew a few individuals who secured admin roles off of clerkships, but I think that they had a little experience in a firm/AG’s Office/whatever before clerking. I think the House/Senate were more likely to hire straight from clerkships. With the election outcome, that could also be an avenue to getting yourself into a Trump admin role, but I’m just speculating as a complete outsider.

[marone]

Before everyone continues to mock people for the crime of being right wing and religious, I’ll offer some anecdotal evidence. I knew a few individuals who secured admin roles off of clerkships, but I think that they had a little experience in a firm/AG’s Office/whatever before clerking. I think the House/Senate were more likely to hire straight from clerkships. With the election outcome, that could also be an avenue to getting yourself into a Trump admin role, but I’m just speculating as a complete outsider.

I don't think criticizing a program whose explicit purpose is to increase the influence of Christian ideas on our legal system is "mock[ing] people for the crime of being ... religious." Glad you could find a way to make yourself the victim here, though.

Also, given that you're "speculating as a complete outsider," not sure anon is necessary.

[Anonymous User]

Before everyone continues to mock people for the crime of being right wing and religious, I’ll offer some anecdotal evidence. I knew a few individuals who secured admin roles off of clerkships, but I think that they had a little experience in a firm/AG’s Office/whatever before clerking. I think the House/Senate were more likely to hire straight from clerkships. With the election outcome, that could also be an avenue to getting yourself into a Trump admin role, but I’m just speculating as a complete outsider.

Where is the mocking?

The program is not just for the right wing and religious. It’s for the right wing and religious within a certain subset of Christianity. Many right-wing religious people are ineligible and there is no comparable program for right-wing Jews, Muslims, Mormons, etc. to gain this leg up. (No, the Tikvah Fund is not comparable.) It’s not surprising that a program whereby government offices can vet interns according to their religious beliefs will raise some eyebrows.

[Wild Card]

I prefer Christian values to Bolshevik ones.

For Congressional roles, is it just dumping your resume into some black hole? It's my understanding this is how it usually works.

[Anonymous User]

I prefer Christian values to Bolshevik ones.

For Congressional roles, is it just dumping your resume into some black hole? It's my understanding this is how it usually works.

No this is the worst way to do it. You need to network and get your resume in front of someone. I know tons f offices that don't even sift through the resume dump black holes looking for someone which is different then say clerkship apps where judges will sometimes at least sift through the pile.