Applying for Newly Nominated and/or Confirmed Judges Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm wondering if anyone has useful insight or experience applying to judges who have been recently confirmed? Is TCR to wait for the OSCAR listing to go up?

[lolwat]

For confirmed judges I used to just find out where their chambers are and call them/send a paper application in.

[Anonymous User]

For confirmed judges I used to just find out where their chambers are and call them/send a paper application in.

If they're currently on the bench (SSC or district court) you can mail an application to those chambers. I'm not sure whether it's kosher to mail an application to the law office of someone coming from private practice (like John Bush, for example).

[lolwat]

For confirmed judges I used to just find out where their chambers are and call them/send a paper application in.

If they're currently on the bench (SSC or district court) you can mail an application to those chambers. I'm not sure whether it's kosher to mail an application to the law office of someone coming from private practice (like John Bush, for example).

From what I can remember -- and it's been a really long time -- it doesn't take long between a judge being confirmed and that judge having chambers in the appropriate courthouse. So you'd just apply to their chambers.

Nominees are different. I probably wouldn't even bother sending an application to them until they're confirmed.

[Anonymous User]

For confirmed judges I used to just find out where their chambers are and call them/send a paper application in.

If they're currently on the bench (SSC or district court) you can mail an application to those chambers. I'm not sure whether it's kosher to mail an application to the law office of someone coming from private practice (like John Bush, for example).

From what I can remember -- and it's been a really long time -- it doesn't take long between a judge being confirmed and that judge having chambers in the appropriate courthouse. So you'd just apply to their chambers.

Nominees are different. I probably wouldn't even bother sending an application to them until they're confirmed.

This is basically the answer I was looking for. Thanks!

[BulletTooth]

There was a previous thread debating the merits of sending unsolicited applications to recent nominees (it was fairly split on whether it was a good idea or not):

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... p#p7886857

[MyNameIsFlynn!]

I did this a while back during Obama's tenure and had little success. Consistent with some impressions in the thread linked above, the vast majority stated they were not considering applications until confirmed; several basically said they'd put my application in the pile and consider it after confirmation, a few asked that I reapply after confirmation, and one or two were plainly displeased by the unsolicited app. YMMV, but I don't think this approach adds a whole lot of value over applying soon after confirmation (especially since judges tend to get situated in chambers pretty quickly after confirmation).

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know when John Bush will be reviewing applications/hiring?

[Anonymous User]

He's interviewing already.

[Anonymous User]

Any additional info, like when did he start interviewing and has he extended any offers yet?

[Anonymous User]

I was actually approached by someone who is in the process of being confirmed and was looking for clerks. I doubt you will get any movement at all until after confirmation though so I would just wait until they are confirmed unless you hear otherwise. Not even sure where you would send it to.

[Anonymous User]

I did this during the Obama administration. I mailed one application to the judge's courthouse-to-be and one to her previous job address, within a week after the confirmation vote. Not sure which got there, but it worked.

[OutCold]

On the day he was confirmed, I sent a paper application to a judge at his law firm address. I thought it was a hailmary. I wound up clerking for him.

[Anonymous User]

Obviously a clerkship is a clerkship but can anyone comment on the steep learning curve/havoc of clerking for a newly confirmed judge. I'd imagine it would be trial by fire the entire first term.

[Anonymous User]

Obviously a clerkship is a clerkship but can anyone comment on the steep learning curve/havoc of clerking for a newly confirmed judge. I'd imagine it would be trial by fire the entire first term.

Probably. But my judge has a soft spot for her first clerks because they went through all of that together. She likes us plenty, but she loves them like family.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard from John Bush yet?

[JakeTappers]

This does little to help but might encourage - I know the first clerk my judge hired when he was being confirms stalked the process and made sure to get an app in and keep in touch as the process progressed. The exact mechanics of that particularly without being annoying, I don't know.

[Anonymous User]

Bush has made offers.

[Anonymous User]

Bush has made offers.

I applied to the nominees, at their (former) places of work. One interview and one clerkship.

[Anonymous User]

Bush has made offers.

I applied to the nominees, at their (former) places of work. One interview and one clerkship.

Would you mind posting applicant general stats without outing yourself?

[Anonymous User]

Bush has made offers.

I applied to the nominees, at their (former) places of work. One interview and one clerkship.

Would you mind posting applicant general stats without outing yourself?

33%ish at t20, 3 LR publications, solely public interest-type experience while in LS. Judge and I really just clicked. Don’t think I would have been able to do it without all the publications.

[Anonymous User]

I received my clerkship by submitting materials to a recently nominated/(now confirmed) judge after meeting them at an event. I know others who worked and were in positions dealing with nominations that got theirs in a similar manner.

Knowing what I now know, I think rushing to contact my judge would have been a bad choice (I wasn't really pushing clerkships when I met them), but clearly there are exceptions posted above.

[Anonymous User]

Expect to have a more difficult clerkship with a new judge, at least for district courts. This is because district judges are notorious for sending their hardest and most troublesome cases to the "new guy."

[Anonymous User]

Expect to have a more difficult clerkship with a new judge, at least for district courts. This is because district judges are notorious for sending their hardest and most troublesome cases to the "new guy."

IMO, as a former law clerk to a new judge, if you’re not capable of working hard to understand a new (to you) arena of law when you have a head start through the parties’ submissions, then evaluate the merits of each party’s arguments and make a sound recommendation to the judge that won’t be flipped for abuse of discretion within your first week with little to no supervision prior to presenting your product/findings/recommendation, the judge made a poor decision in hiring you.

It’s unlikely that the judge made a poor decision in hiring you. To law clerks for new judges, you can do this (described above). Have confidence and act like you deserve the position.