PI-Interested Judges? Forum

[Anonymous User]

HLS 2L here. Clerkship office told me to consider applying to PI-focused judges given my disappointing transcript (1 DS, 11 Hs, 4 Ps) and mid credentials (moot court, but no LR. On board of a major secondary journal; affinity org leadership).

Does anyone have any recommendations for PI-focused judges that I should prioritize applying to? Really hoping for a circuit court clerkship, but I also want to clerk on district eventually, so would be happy with either.

[Anonymous User]

Stranch is very focused on PI. She requires you to state your PI commitment in your cover letter. Other lefties include Montecalvo and Rikelman on the First Circuit, but they’re not exclusively PI hirers. Someone may want to correct me here, but I thought Graves on the Fifth Circuit was PI-oriented.

[Anonymous User]

Stranch is very focused on PI. She requires you to state your PI commitment in your cover letter. Other lefties include Montecalvo and Rikelman on the First Circuit, but they’re not exclusively PI hirers. Someone may want to correct me here, but I thought Graves on the Fifth Circuit was PI-oriented.

While maybe not as strong as Stranch, I'd assume Bloomekatz would look favorably upon PI in the Sixth. Berzon, Sung, Paez in the 9th are good contenders. Berner in the Fourth also states she prefers public interest oriented folks. On the Second circuit, Chin is a good bet, Perez and Robinson to a lesser extent.

[Anonymous User]

HLS 2L here. Clerkship office told me to consider applying to PI-focused judges given my disappointing transcript (1 DS, 11 Hs, 4 Ps) and mid credentials (moot court, but no LR. On board of a major secondary journal; affinity org leadership).

Does anyone have any recommendations for PI-focused judges that I should prioritize applying to? Really hoping for a circuit court clerkship, but I also want to clerk on district eventually, so would be happy with either.

Honestly if you apply broadly I think your grades will be enough for many circuits. If these were real classes, you'd be in the running with my COA judge.

[Anonymous User]

HLS 3L here clerking on district court after graduation. These aren't disappointing grades at all. You're out of the running for the top feeder judges and you'll have trouble breaking into certain courts like 2/9/DC (though not impossible), but your grades are solidly in the running for most judges (that is, as the above poster mentioned, assuming your transcript is filled with mostly "real" classes). I'm not saying you have an awesome shot at getting a circuit clerkship because they're so competitive, but there aren't a whole lot of judges who will look at your transcript and instantly eliminate you from the running.

[Anonymous User]

This seems like very strange advice coming from a clerkship office.

[Anonymous User]

Jackson-Akiwumi on CA7 seems to like PI folks, and probably Maldonado as well given her background. And Forrest (a pretty-conservative-but-not-nuts Trump appointee) on CA9 also mentions a "commitment to public service" in her OSCAR postings, though my guess is that she might be thinking more government work than civil rights/lefty PI work. Otherwise just look at the judge's backgrounds - the Biden (and to a lesser extent, Obama) appointees who were public defenders/public interest lawyers will value PI more.

But also to get more consideration by PI judges, you actually have to demonstrate an interest in PI beyond just a 1L summer internship. Nothing you mentioned in your credentials would have struck my judges as PI-related (though of course you maybe just didn't feel a need to summarize your PI stuff, which is fair), and some of the judges who look favorably on PI work are still pretty grade-sensitive.

[siri949]

District Judge, but Kovner in EDNY has a 2028–29 OSCAR posting. She's also highly-credentialed and young, so definitely a 2d cir candidate if a Dem wins in 2028.

[Anonymous User]

District Judge, but Kovner in EDNY has a 2028–29 OSCAR posting. She's also highly-credentialed and young, so definitely a 2d cir candidate if a Dem wins in 2028.

Yes, the well-known conservative feeder Trump-appointed Kovner is definitely in the running for a Dem nomination to CA2!

[siri949]

District Judge, but Kovner in EDNY has a 2028–29 OSCAR posting. She's also highly-credentialed and young, so definitely a 2d cir candidate if a Dem wins in 2028.

Yes, the well-known conservative feeder Trump-appointed Kovner is definitely in the running for a Dem nomination to CA2!

Whoops! I was thinking of Nina Morrison, NOT Kovner. (And Morrison is not as young as I had remembered, so maybe strike the CA2 bit.) Thanks so much for the correction! Anyway OP, Morrison mentions PI in the posting, so if you're open to DJ's, there's one for you.

[Anonymous User]

Stranch is very focused on PI. She requires you to state your PI commitment in your cover letter. Other lefties include Montecalvo and Rikelman on the First Circuit, but they’re not exclusively PI hirers. Someone may want to correct me here, but I thought Graves on the Fifth Circuit was PI-oriented.

Stranch currently has an opening on OSCAR for the 2026-2027 term btw

[Anonymous User]

[/i]

This seems like very strange advice coming from a clerkship office.

I agree, OP's grades are in roughly the top 15% of the class. To be honest, outside of 5-6 judges like Srinivasan and Boasberg, there shouldn't be any judge that is completely out of reach due to grades, and for most judges those grades should put the OP in a pretty comfortable position. Assuming the OP has strong rec letters, I don't imagine they will have much difficulty landing a clerkship. If OCS gave that advice--unless OP initially sent a list of 10-20 of the most selective judges--the advice they gave is pretty whack. To be fair, OCS's interests diverge slightly from the interests of students so I always found it helpful to take their advice with a grain of salt; their interest is to get student any clerkship, while a student may be more interested in a specific clerkship.

[Anonymous User]

HLS 2L here. Clerkship office told me to consider applying to PI-focused judges given my disappointing transcript (1 DS, 11 Hs, 4 Ps) and mid credentials (moot court, but no LR. On board of a major secondary journal; affinity org leadership).

Does anyone have any recommendations for PI-focused judges that I should prioritize applying to? Really hoping for a circuit court clerkship, but I also want to clerk on district eventually, so would be happy with either.

uhhhhh disappointing transcript? wtf lol

[Anonymous User]

HLS 2L here. Clerkship office told me to consider applying to PI-focused judges given my disappointing transcript (1 DS, 11 Hs, 4 Ps) and mid credentials (moot court, but no LR. On board of a major secondary journal; affinity org leadership).

Does anyone have any recommendations for PI-focused judges that I should prioritize applying to? Really hoping for a circuit court clerkship, but I also want to clerk on district eventually, so would be happy with either.

uhhhhh disappointing transcript? wtf lol

Got plenty of interviews with worse grades. Though I am on LR.

[Anonymous User]

[/i]

This seems like very strange advice coming from a clerkship office.

I agree, OP's grades are in roughly the top 15% of the class. To be honest, outside of 5-6 judges like Srinivasan and Boasberg, there shouldn't be any judge that is completely out of reach due to grades, and for most judges those grades should put the OP in a pretty comfortable position. Assuming the OP has strong rec letters, I don't imagine they will have much difficulty landing a clerkship. If OCS gave that advice--unless OP initially sent a list of 10-20 of the most selective judges--the advice they gave is pretty whack. To be fair, OCS's interests diverge slightly from the interests of students so I always found it helpful to take their advice with a grain of salt; their interest is to get student any clerkship, while a student may be more interested in a specific clerkship.

That’s overstating it. This transcript, especially without LR, would not make the first cut in my judge’s SDNY chambers. But generally agreed that the grades are solid.

[Anonymous User]

[/i]

This seems like very strange advice coming from a clerkship office.

I agree, OP's grades are in roughly the top 15% of the class. To be honest, outside of 5-6 judges like Srinivasan and Boasberg, there shouldn't be any judge that is completely out of reach due to grades, and for most judges those grades should put the OP in a pretty comfortable position. Assuming the OP has strong rec letters, I don't imagine they will have much difficulty landing a clerkship. If OCS gave that advice--unless OP initially sent a list of 10-20 of the most selective judges--the advice they gave is pretty whack. To be fair, OCS's interests diverge slightly from the interests of students so I always found it helpful to take their advice with a grain of salt; their interest is to get student any clerkship, while a student may be more interested in a specific clerkship.

That’s overstating it. This transcript, especially without LR, would not make the first cut in my judge’s SDNY chambers. But generally agreed that the grades are solid.

Idk who your judge is, but this is not true for most SDNY judges.

[Anonymous User]

[/i]

This seems like very strange advice coming from a clerkship office.

I agree, OP's grades are in roughly the top 15% of the class. To be honest, outside of 5-6 judges like Srinivasan and Boasberg, there shouldn't be any judge that is completely out of reach due to grades, and for most judges those grades should put the OP in a pretty comfortable position. Assuming the OP has strong rec letters, I don't imagine they will have much difficulty landing a clerkship. If OCS gave that advice--unless OP initially sent a list of 10-20 of the most selective judges--the advice they gave is pretty whack. To be fair, OCS's interests diverge slightly from the interests of students so I always found it helpful to take their advice with a grain of salt; their interest is to get student any clerkship, while a student may be more interested in a specific clerkship.

That’s overstating it. This transcript, especially without LR, would not make the first cut in my judge’s SDNY chambers. But generally agreed that the grades are solid.

Idk who your judge is, but this is not true for most SDNY judges.

Previous anon. Without getting into specifics, it’s not at all unsurprising to get HLS apps with near all H’s and multiple DS’s. OP’s transcript wouldn’t make it past the clerks.

I’d guess about half of SDNY would feel the same way. I agree various judges on the court would be fine with OP’s transcript, although some of those judges would be looking for other things (fedsoc for one, demonstrated PI interest for some, and so on).

Can someone from HLS confirm the top 15% estimate? It doesn’t seem accurate. Even if true, that’s 70-80 people at HLS.

[Anonymous User]

[/i]

This seems like very strange advice coming from a clerkship office.

I agree, OP's grades are in roughly the top 15% of the class. To be honest, outside of 5-6 judges like Srinivasan and Boasberg, there shouldn't be any judge that is completely out of reach due to grades, and for most judges those grades should put the OP in a pretty comfortable position. Assuming the OP has strong rec letters, I don't imagine they will have much difficulty landing a clerkship. If OCS gave that advice--unless OP initially sent a list of 10-20 of the most selective judges--the advice they gave is pretty whack. To be fair, OCS's interests diverge slightly from the interests of students so I always found it helpful to take their advice with a grain of salt; their interest is to get student any clerkship, while a student may be more interested in a specific clerkship.

That’s overstating it. This transcript, especially without LR, would not make the first cut in my judge’s SDNY chambers. But generally agreed that the grades are solid.

Idk who your judge is, but this is not true for most SDNY judges.

Previous anon. Without getting into specifics, it’s not at all unsurprising to get HLS apps with near all H’s and multiple DS’s. OP’s transcript wouldn’t make it past the clerks.

I’d guess about half of SDNY would feel the same way. I agree various judges on the court would be fine with OP’s transcript, although some of those judges would be looking for other things (fedsoc for one, demonstrated PI interest for some, and so on).

Can someone from HLS confirm the top 15% estimate? It doesn’t seem accurate. Even if true, that’s 70-80 people at HLS.

It's not a ridiculous estimate but it's probably closer to top 25% or so. Magna (top 10%) cutoff is usually around more DSs than Ps.