Let's talk 6th Circuit! Forum

[Anonymous User]

What's the power ranking of the liberal judges in terms of desirability?

My subjective and probably flawed list:

1. Moore. The liberal lioness. Ruthless in her interactions with the conservatives, but that could be a plus if you're a liberal. Guessing she's a stern but good boss.

2. Cole. A class act, both to other judges and clerks. A little bit closer to the center, ideologically.

3. White. Well-respected by both sides. Super smart. But works long and strange hours. Republican nominee but liberal in outlook.

4. Stranch. Extremely friendly. Has that southern charm. Closer to the left end of the spectrum, doesn't have the intellectual heft of a Moore but seems like a great boss.

5. Donald. Lovely person, sings for other judges at gatherings. But travels a lot and isn't always plugged in, so clerks may not get as much supervision or mentorship as they would like.

6. Clay. Lol.

Any thoughts on how the Biden appointees fit into this (understanding that it's subjective and people may disagree)? Are Cole & White still as active/busy now that they've gone senior, or is it more chill now? And does Gilman still hire clerks?

Bloomekatz should be at the top of the list: Calabresi and Breyer clerk, public interest background including a solo practice, connected, is a lovely person and respected. For those with the choice, she possibly could end up being a better clerkship than the traditional feeders on that court (Sutton and Thapar).

Davis and Mathis (in that order) I have also heard to be very good, take into account their legal backgrounds when you apply.

I also wouldn't knock Clay.

Donald is retired and inactive, no longer hires clerks.

Cole, White, and Gilman are active and busy.

Any liberal applicant should also keep an eye on Ritz and Campbell (Biden’s latest nominees) - obviously we don’t know how they’ll be as bosses yet, but both have clerked on CA6 themselves, have a good reputation in Memphis/Nashville, and would probably be good fits for anyone interested in being an AUSA/govt work (Ritz) and public interest (Campbell).

[Anonymous User]

What's the power ranking of the liberal judges in terms of desirability?

My subjective and probably flawed list:

1. Moore. The liberal lioness. Ruthless in her interactions with the conservatives, but that could be a plus if you're a liberal. Guessing she's a stern but good boss.

2. Cole. A class act, both to other judges and clerks. A little bit closer to the center, ideologically.

3. White. Well-respected by both sides. Super smart. But works long and strange hours. Republican nominee but liberal in outlook.

4. Stranch. Extremely friendly. Has that southern charm. Closer to the left end of the spectrum, doesn't have the intellectual heft of a Moore but seems like a great boss.

5. Donald. Lovely person, sings for other judges at gatherings. But travels a lot and isn't always plugged in, so clerks may not get as much supervision or mentorship as they would like.

6. Clay. Lol.

Any thoughts on how the Biden appointees fit into this (understanding that it's subjective and people may disagree)? Are Cole & White still as active/busy now that they've gone senior, or is it more chill now? And does Gilman still hire clerks?

Bloomekatz should be at the top of the list: Calabresi and Breyer clerk, public interest background including a solo practice, connected, is a lovely person and respected. For those with the choice, she possibly could end up being a better clerkship than the traditional feeders on that court (Sutton and Thapar).

Davis and Mathis (in that order) I have also heard to be very good, take into account their legal backgrounds when you apply.

I also wouldn't knock Clay.

Donald is retired and inactive, no longer hires clerks.

Cole, White, and Gilman are active and busy.

Any liberal applicant should also keep an eye on Ritz and Campbell (Biden’s latest nominees) - obviously we don’t know how they’ll be as bosses yet, but both have clerked on CA6 themselves, have a good reputation in Memphis/Nashville, and would probably be good fits for anyone interested in being an AUSA/govt work (Ritz) and public interest (Campbell).

Random question, but how common is it for a judge’s clerk to take that judge’s seat? That’s the case with Ritz (Gibbons) and Campbell (Stranch), and while I’m sure there are examples, I can’t think of any off of the top of my head.

[Anonymous User]

What's the power ranking of the liberal judges in terms of desirability?

My subjective and probably flawed list:

1. Moore. The liberal lioness. Ruthless in her interactions with the conservatives, but that could be a plus if you're a liberal. Guessing she's a stern but good boss.

2. Cole. A class act, both to other judges and clerks. A little bit closer to the center, ideologically.

3. White. Well-respected by both sides. Super smart. But works long and strange hours. Republican nominee but liberal in outlook.

4. Stranch. Extremely friendly. Has that southern charm. Closer to the left end of the spectrum, doesn't have the intellectual heft of a Moore but seems like a great boss.

5. Donald. Lovely person, sings for other judges at gatherings. But travels a lot and isn't always plugged in, so clerks may not get as much supervision or mentorship as they would like.

6. Clay. Lol.

Any thoughts on how the Biden appointees fit into this (understanding that it's subjective and people may disagree)? Are Cole & White still as active/busy now that they've gone senior, or is it more chill now? And does Gilman still hire clerks?

Bloomekatz should be at the top of the list: Calabresi and Breyer clerk, public interest background including a solo practice, connected, is a lovely person and respected. For those with the choice, she possibly could end up being a better clerkship than the traditional feeders on that court (Sutton and Thapar).

Davis and Mathis (in that order) I have also heard to be very good, take into account their legal backgrounds when you apply.

I also wouldn't knock Clay.

Donald is retired and inactive, no longer hires clerks.

Cole, White, and Gilman are active and busy.

Any liberal applicant should also keep an eye on Ritz and Campbell (Biden’s latest nominees) - obviously we don’t know how they’ll be as bosses yet, but both have clerked on CA6 themselves, have a good reputation in Memphis/Nashville, and would probably be good fits for anyone interested in being an AUSA/govt work (Ritz) and public interest (Campbell).

Random question, but how common is it for a judge’s clerk to take that judge’s seat? That’s the case with Ritz (Gibbons) and Campbell (Stranch), and while I’m sure there are examples, I can’t think of any off of the top of my head.

I recall a recent article asserting that it’s becoming more and more common. Jinsook Ohta on SD Cal is another example.

[Anonymous User]

Interesting on Judge Ohta. I recall both Judge King and Judge Rawlinson conditioning senior status on the appointment of their former clerks to take their seats. King rescinded his intent to take senior status when he found out they wouldn’t nominate his former clerk.

[Anonymous User]

What's the power ranking of the liberal judges in terms of desirability?

My subjective and probably flawed list:

1. Moore. The liberal lioness. Ruthless in her interactions with the conservatives, but that could be a plus if you're a liberal. Guessing she's a stern but good boss.

2. Cole. A class act, both to other judges and clerks. A little bit closer to the center, ideologically.

3. White. Well-respected by both sides. Super smart. But works long and strange hours. Republican nominee but liberal in outlook.

4. Stranch. Extremely friendly. Has that southern charm. Closer to the left end of the spectrum, doesn't have the intellectual heft of a Moore but seems like a great boss.

5. Donald. Lovely person, sings for other judges at gatherings. But travels a lot and isn't always plugged in, so clerks may not get as much supervision or mentorship as they would like.

6. Clay. Lol.

Any thoughts on how the Biden appointees fit into this (understanding that it's subjective and people may disagree)? Are Cole & White still as active/busy now that they've gone senior, or is it more chill now? And does Gilman still hire clerks?

Bloomekatz should be at the top of the list: Calabresi and Breyer clerk, public interest background including a solo practice, connected, is a lovely person and respected. For those with the choice, she possibly could end up being a better clerkship than the traditional feeders on that court (Sutton and Thapar).

Davis and Mathis (in that order) I have also heard to be very good, take into account their legal backgrounds when you apply.

I also wouldn't knock Clay.

Donald is retired and inactive, no longer hires clerks.

Cole, White, and Gilman are active and busy.

Any liberal applicant should also keep an eye on Ritz and Campbell (Biden’s latest nominees) - obviously we don’t know how they’ll be as bosses yet, but both have clerked on CA6 themselves, have a good reputation in Memphis/Nashville, and would probably be good fits for anyone interested in being an AUSA/govt work (Ritz) and public interest (Campbell).

Random question, but how common is it for a judge’s clerk to take that judge’s seat? That’s the case with Ritz (Gibbons) and Campbell (Stranch), and while I’m sure there are examples, I can’t think of any off of the top of my head.

I recall a recent article asserting that it’s becoming more and more common. Jinsook Ohta on SD Cal is another example.

Roberts clerked for Rehnquist before being nominated to replace him as chief judge. Kavanaugh clerked for Kennedy before taking his seat on SCOTUS. Forrest clerked for O’Scannlain before taking his seat on CA9 (as did Ryan Bounds, whom O’Scannlain/the Trump WH originally wanted to fill the seat). Seems like it’s been a thing for a while now, though I would imagine it was less common in the old days.

[Anonymous User]

Interesting on Judge Ohta. I recall both Judge King and Judge Rawlinson conditioning senior status on the appointment of their former clerks to take their seats. King rescinded his intent to take senior status when he found out they wouldn’t nominate his former clerk.

I still don’t understand why Manchin refused to sign off on Carte Goodwin, the former clerk that King wanted. Reports were that Manchin wanted a woman he was close to for the seat, but Manchin was also close enough to Goodwin to appoint him to the senate seat back in 2009?

True to form, David Lat automatically assumed that it was because the WH was being woke and wanted a woman or someone diverse. That doesn’t make sense to me when (1) the WH had no problem nominating Heytens (a white guy) on the recommendation of the VA senators, and (2) the WH nominated Stark (another white guy) to Fed Cir, where no senatorial consent is required (not to mention that the WH later nominated Johnstone, Kolar, Federico, Aframe, and Ritz). Furthermore, given that Manchin was the most powerful person in Congress in 2021, I doubt the WH was going to fight him on a random circuit seat when it was trying to get him on board with its major legislation.

[Anonymous User]

What's the power ranking of the liberal judges in terms of desirability?

My subjective and probably flawed list:

1. Moore. The liberal lioness. Ruthless in her interactions with the conservatives, but that could be a plus if you're a liberal. Guessing she's a stern but good boss.

2. Cole. A class act, both to other judges and clerks. A little bit closer to the center, ideologically.

3. White. Well-respected by both sides. Super smart. But works long and strange hours. Republican nominee but liberal in outlook.

4. Stranch. Extremely friendly. Has that southern charm. Closer to the left end of the spectrum, doesn't have the intellectual heft of a Moore but seems like a great boss.

5. Donald. Lovely person, sings for other judges at gatherings. But travels a lot and isn't always plugged in, so clerks may not get as much supervision or mentorship as they would like.

6. Clay. Lol.

Any thoughts on how the Biden appointees fit into this (understanding that it's subjective and people may disagree)? Are Cole & White still as active/busy now that they've gone senior, or is it more chill now? And does Gilman still hire clerks?

Bloomekatz should be at the top of the list: Calabresi and Breyer clerk, public interest background including a solo practice, connected, is a lovely person and respected. For those with the choice, she possibly could end up being a better clerkship than the traditional feeders on that court (Sutton and Thapar).

Davis and Mathis (in that order) I have also heard to be very good, take into account their legal backgrounds when you apply.

I also wouldn't knock Clay.

Donald is retired and inactive, no longer hires clerks.

Cole, White, and Gilman are active and busy.

Any liberal applicant should also keep an eye on Ritz and Campbell (Biden’s latest nominees) - obviously we don’t know how they’ll be as bosses yet, but both have clerked on CA6 themselves, have a good reputation in Memphis/Nashville, and would probably be good fits for anyone interested in being an AUSA/govt work (Ritz) and public interest (Campbell).

Random question, but how common is it for a judge’s clerk to take that judge’s seat? That’s the case with Ritz (Gibbons) and Campbell (Stranch), and while I’m sure there are examples, I can’t think of any off of the top of my head.

I wonder if with gibbons the Ritz nomination was part of a deal to get her to retire. I suspect she didn't like trump and biden was working to dislodge her and maybe nominating a former clerk was a cherry on top. could also be projecting too much here.

[Anonymous User]

My subjective and probably flawed list:

1. Moore. The liberal lioness. Ruthless in her interactions with the conservatives, but that could be a plus if you're a liberal. Guessing she's a stern but good boss.

2. Cole. A class act, both to other judges and clerks. A little bit closer to the center, ideologically.

3. White. Well-respected by both sides. Super smart. But works long and strange hours. Republican nominee but liberal in outlook.

4. Stranch. Extremely friendly. Has that southern charm. Closer to the left end of the spectrum, doesn't have the intellectual heft of a Moore but seems like a great boss.

5. Donald. Lovely person, sings for other judges at gatherings. But travels a lot and isn't always plugged in, so clerks may not get as much supervision or mentorship as they would like.

6. Clay. Lol.

Any thoughts on how the Biden appointees fit into this (understanding that it's subjective and people may disagree)? Are Cole & White still as active/busy now that they've gone senior, or is it more chill now? And does Gilman still hire clerks?

Bloomekatz should be at the top of the list: Calabresi and Breyer clerk, public interest background including a solo practice, connected, is a lovely person and respected. For those with the choice, she possibly could end up being a better clerkship than the traditional feeders on that court (Sutton and Thapar).

Davis and Mathis (in that order) I have also heard to be very good, take into account their legal backgrounds when you apply.

I also wouldn't knock Clay.

Donald is retired and inactive, no longer hires clerks.

Cole, White, and Gilman are active and busy.

Any liberal applicant should also keep an eye on Ritz and Campbell (Biden’s latest nominees) - obviously we don’t know how they’ll be as bosses yet, but both have clerked on CA6 themselves, have a good reputation in Memphis/Nashville, and would probably be good fits for anyone interested in being an AUSA/govt work (Ritz) and public interest (Campbell).

Random question, but how common is it for a judge’s clerk to take that judge’s seat? That’s the case with Ritz (Gibbons) and Campbell (Stranch), and while I’m sure there are examples, I can’t think of any off of the top of my head.

I recall a recent article asserting that it’s becoming more and more common. Jinsook Ohta on SD Cal is another example.

Roberts clerked for Rehnquist before being nominated to replace him as chief judge. Kavanaugh clerked for Kennedy before taking his seat on SCOTUS. Forrest clerked for O’Scannlain before taking his seat on CA9 (as did Ryan Bounds, whom O’Scannlain/the Trump WH originally wanted to fill the seat). Seems like it’s been a thing for a while now, though I would imagine it was less common in the old days.

Good rundown. Justice Jackson also clerked for Breyer (whom she replaced). I agree that it probably used to be less common, in that clerking was a bit less of a "must-have" credential (and maybe also for other reasons).

[Anonymous User]

What's the power ranking of the liberal judges in terms of desirability?

My subjective and probably flawed list:

1. Moore. The liberal lioness. Ruthless in her interactions with the conservatives, but that could be a plus if you're a liberal. Guessing she's a stern but good boss.

2. Cole. A class act, both to other judges and clerks. A little bit closer to the center, ideologically.

3. White. Well-respected by both sides. Super smart. But works long and strange hours. Republican nominee but liberal in outlook.

4. Stranch. Extremely friendly. Has that southern charm. Closer to the left end of the spectrum, doesn't have the intellectual heft of a Moore but seems like a great boss.

5. Donald. Lovely person, sings for other judges at gatherings. But travels a lot and isn't always plugged in, so clerks may not get as much supervision or mentorship as they would like.

6. Clay. Lol.

Any thoughts on how the Biden appointees fit into this (understanding that it's subjective and people may disagree)? Are Cole & White still as active/busy now that they've gone senior, or is it more chill now? And does Gilman still hire clerks?

Bloomekatz should be at the top of the list: Calabresi and Breyer clerk, public interest background including a solo practice, connected, is a lovely person and respected. For those with the choice, she possibly could end up being a better clerkship than the traditional feeders on that court (Sutton and Thapar).

Davis and Mathis (in that order) I have also heard to be very good, take into account their legal backgrounds when you apply.

I also wouldn't knock Clay.

Donald is retired and inactive, no longer hires clerks.

Cole, White, and Gilman are active and busy.

Any liberal applicant should also keep an eye on Ritz and Campbell (Biden’s latest nominees) - obviously we don’t know how they’ll be as bosses yet, but both have clerked on CA6 themselves, have a good reputation in Memphis/Nashville, and would probably be good fits for anyone interested in being an AUSA/govt work (Ritz) and public interest (Campbell).

Random question, but how common is it for a judge’s clerk to take that judge’s seat? That’s the case with Ritz (Gibbons) and Campbell (Stranch), and while I’m sure there are examples, I can’t think of any off of the top of my head.

I wonder if with gibbons the Ritz nomination was part of a deal to get her to retire. I suspect she didn't like trump and biden was working to dislodge her and maybe nominating a former clerk was a cherry on top. could also be projecting too much here.

I'm not convinced there was some deal here - given that judges can retract their decision to go senior (as we saw with Kanne and King), couldn't Gibbons have gotten the Trump administration to nominate one of her former clerks if she had gone senior back then? That's what Kanne tried to do on CA7, and the nominee was blocked only because Pence was concerned about it dragging up old skeletons (https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/ ... mp-1411915). Gibbons is not nearly as conservative as Kanne, so I'm sure the threat of retracting and going senior under a Democratic president would've been taken more seriously.

Seems more likely that Gibbons made her senior status conditional so the Biden WH wouldn't try to replace her with somebody too far to the left for her tastes. And my guess is that Ritz, who has been a federal prosecutor his whole career, will probably be the most conservative of the Biden appointees (and probably any of the Dem appointees on CA6).

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know if clerking for Judge Oliver on N.D. Ohio is a positive experience?

Bumping this. I’ve been told there’s a lot of work involved, but I’m not sure how helpful that is because most trial courts are busy.

[Anonymous User]

Is the general consensus that Judge Davis is a decent boss? Just wondering if there are any horror stories out there.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard from Judge Readler for 26-27?

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard from Judge Readler for 26-27?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know anything about Boom/what the deal is being on both EDKY and WDKY/how the sentencing commission work plays out?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone heard anything from White for 2025 or 2026?

[Anonymous User]

any Richardson movement?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone heard from Cole?

[Anonymous User]

Davis is interviewing

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard from Kethledge?

[Anonymous User]

Davis is interviewing

She has already made an offer.

[Anonymous User]

Davis is interviewing

She has already made an offer.

Do you know when?

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know if Ritz is interviewing for 2025 yet?

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have any info on what working for Siler is like/what to expect during the interview? He seems very active for having been senior status for so long.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have any info on what working for Siler is like/what to expect during the interview? He seems very active for having been senior status for so long.

This is very unhelpful and quite possibly bullshit, but I heard that he likes to hunt. You can see evidence of that (taxidermy) in chambers.

What I do know is that he sits by designation a lot. My impression is that the clerks drive the interview/have a lot of input, so take that for what it’s worth. (Happily waiting for someone to tell me that I’m wrong. I know all of this second/third hand.)

[Anonymous User]

I know he is still new, but any intel on Ritz yet as a boss/judge?