Let’s Talk DC Circuit! Forum

[Anonymous User]

How much hope should I have as a 2L applying for DDC with top 10% grades, LR, and moot court from a non-HYS T14?

It's a bit of a myth that the DDC judges are extreme grade snobs. Sure, some like Boasberg, won't look twice at someone without a 5.0 GPA, but most are not like that at all. Connections to the judges, and for the new Biden appointees, diversity and PI interest, are more important.

Any thoughts on the work quality of the Biden appointees? (Cobb/Reyes/AliKhan/Ali/Sooknanan)

Bump. Anyone know how they hire and prioritize? Which of them are 'grade snobs'?

PI students and none of them are grade snobs. It's reflected in the quality of their work too, except Reyes who tends to do her own thing.

"It's reflected in the quality of their work too"

All of them except Reyes have poor work quality? That doesn't sound right to me.

[Anonymous User]

How much hope should I have as a 2L applying for DDC with top 10% grades, LR, and moot court from a non-HYS T14?

It's a bit of a myth that the DDC judges are extreme grade snobs. Sure, some like Boasberg, won't look twice at someone without a 5.0 GPA, but most are not like that at all. Connections to the judges, and for the new Biden appointees, diversity and PI interest, are more important.

Any thoughts on the work quality of the Biden appointees? (Cobb/Reyes/AliKhan/Ali/Sooknanan)

Bump. Anyone know how they hire and prioritize? Which of them are 'grade snobs'?

PI students and none of them are grade snobs. It's reflected in the quality of their work too, except Reyes who tends to do her own thing.

"It's reflected in the quality of their work too"

All of them except Reyes have poor work quality? That doesn't sound right to me.

All judges of color and their work product is being judged by some law student (or clerk) who I very much doubt is reading every memo order/opinion coming out these judges’ chambers. Sounds about white…

[Anonymous User]

How much hope should I have as a 2L applying for DDC with top 10% grades, LR, and moot court from a non-HYS T14?

It's a bit of a myth that the DDC judges are extreme grade snobs. Sure, some like Boasberg, won't look twice at someone without a 5.0 GPA, but most are not like that at all. Connections to the judges, and for the new Biden appointees, diversity and PI interest, are more important.

Any thoughts on the work quality of the Biden appointees? (Cobb/Reyes/AliKhan/Ali/Sooknanan)

Bump. Anyone know how they hire and prioritize? Which of them are 'grade snobs'?

PI students and none of them are grade snobs. It's reflected in the quality of their work too, except Reyes who tends to do her own thing.

"It's reflected in the quality of their work too"

All of them except Reyes have poor work quality? That doesn't sound right to me.

All judges of color and their work product is being judged by some law student (or clerk) who I very much doubt is reading every memo order/opinion coming out these judges’ chambers. Sounds about white…

Lol exactly. It’s hard to take advice on here seriously sometimes.

[Wild Card]

All judges of color and their work product is being judged by some law student (or clerk) who I very much doubt is reading every memo order/opinion coming out these judges’ chambers. Sounds about white…

Cool it with the racism. Anyone who keeps up with the news understands that this judge is not sound of mind.

[Anonymous User]

How much hope should I have as a 2L applying for DDC with top 10% grades, LR, and moot court from a non-HYS T14?

It's a bit of a myth that the DDC judges are extreme grade snobs. Sure, some like Boasberg, won't look twice at someone without a 5.0 GPA, but most are not like that at all. Connections to the judges, and for the new Biden appointees, diversity and PI interest, are more important.

Any thoughts on the work quality of the Biden appointees? (Cobb/Reyes/AliKhan/Ali/Sooknanan)

Bump. Anyone know how they hire and prioritize? Which of them are 'grade snobs'?

PI students and none of them are grade snobs. It's reflected in the quality of their work too, except Reyes who tends to do her own thing.

"It's reflected in the quality of their work too"

All of them except Reyes have poor work quality? That doesn't sound right to me.

Especially considering that Reyes by far has the worst reputation—to the point where she seems like the outlier in terms of having the worst work product and demeanor. The others have seemed totally fine to me and on par with what you’d expect from DDC…

[Anonymous User]

On that note, which DDC judge(s) should be avoided? Or is Reyes just the outlier?

[Anonymous User]

How much hope should I have as a 2L applying for DDC with top 10% grades, LR, and moot court from a non-HYS T14?

It's a bit of a myth that the DDC judges are extreme grade snobs. Sure, some like Boasberg, won't look twice at someone without a 5.0 GPA, but most are not like that at all. Connections to the judges, and for the new Biden appointees, diversity and PI interest, are more important.

Any thoughts on the work quality of the Biden appointees? (Cobb/Reyes/AliKhan/Ali/Sooknanan)

Bump. Anyone know how they hire and prioritize? Which of them are 'grade snobs'?

PI students and none of them are grade snobs. It's reflected in the quality of their work too, except Reyes who tends to do her own thing.

"It's reflected in the quality of their work too"

All of them except Reyes have poor work quality? That doesn't sound right to me.

Especially considering that Reyes by far has the worst reputation—to the point where she seems like the outlier in terms of having the worst work product and demeanor. The others have seemed totally fine to me and on par with what you’d expect from DDC…

Adding another datapoint: there are Ali, AliKhan, Cobb, and Sooknanan clerks also clerking for major feeders and other “heavyweight” judges on the D.C. Circuit plus other COAs—think Srinivasan, Millett, Heytens, etc.

Which is to say that there’s no reason to think that these particular DDC clerkships are any less competitive than other DC clerkships. Can’t speak to the “grade snob” question, but I think it’s a reasonable guess that these judges still want top grades but having an interesting resume only helps.

To the extent they’re looking for “PI students,” it’s the type of elite PI in the vein of Gupta Wessler, ACLU national, MacArthur Justice Center, state SG office, etc., which obvious reflects those judges’ backgrounds.

[Anonymous User]

On that note, which DDC judge(s) should be avoided? Or is Reyes just the outlier?

On the whole, DDC judges across the board seem to be exceptionally good. The only “avoids” might be a matter of ideology, but that tends to matter less at the district court level than at the COA level. Even McFadden, for example, has issued rulings that go against the Trump admin.

There are some whispers about clerkships with certain senior judges not being great, particularly Leon and Lamberth. But it’s hard to say how much of that is due to external perception of/a product of their old age. FWIW, their recent clerks have seemed happy enough to me.