Retired Justice SCOTUS Clerkship Forum

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have any intel as to whether the requirements for a clerkship with a retired justice (i.e., grades) are meaningfully different from those required for an active justice?

[Anonymous User]

There are only two slots a year, one with Breyer and one with Kennedy. Both jobs will be highly coveted. I wouldn't count on either relaxing their grade standards, though they may put more emphasis on recommendations than they did as active justices.

[Anonymous User]

Kennedy has hired his buddies kids twice now, so I wouldn’t rate any chances particularly high without serious connections.

[Anonymous User]

Two of Kennedy's few hires since retiring have been people who did not look competitive for SCOTUS on paper. But Kennedy has always loved the well-connected, and just because he's willing to bend for them doesn't mean he would be willing to bend for you.

[Anonymous User]

Does Souter take clerks?

[Anonymous User]

Does Souter take clerks?

Not anymore, he stopped a couple of years ago

[Chokenhauer]

There are only two slots a year, one with Breyer and one with Kennedy. Both jobs will be highly coveted. I wouldn't count on either relaxing their grade standards, though they may put more emphasis on recommendations than they did as active justices.

Is Breyer sitting on CA1/any circuit in retirement?

[Anonymous User]

There are only two slots a year, one with Breyer and one with Kennedy. Both jobs will be highly coveted. I wouldn't count on either relaxing their grade standards, though they may put more emphasis on recommendations than they did as active justices.

Is Breyer sitting on CA1/any circuit in retirement?

Breyer has been a somewhat regular presence in the CA1 courthouse in Boston during summers. I would not be surprised if he occasionally sits, although I don't think he'll sit nearly as often as Souter did (for many years Souter was as active as the senior circuit judges were on CA1, but I believe he's recently pared down his workload).

[Anonymous User]

Would there be any career benefit to clerking for a retired justice?

[Anonymous User]

Would there be any career benefit to clerking for a retired justice?

Yes, you're still clerking for the Supreme Court and you get lent to active Justices.

[Anonymous User]

Would there be any career benefit to clerking for a retired justice?

It's every bit as sought-after as a clerkship with an active justice. If anything, it might be a better gig, because you become part of two different justices' networks (the retired one, and the active one that you are lent to).

Gorsuch clerked for retired Justice White and was lent to Kennedy, who clearly considered Gorsuch one of "his" clerks.

[Anonymous User]

Just as competitive as any other SCOTUS position, with the caveat that Kennedy's hiring has gotten even more Kennedyish since he retired

[Chokenhauer]

Just as competitive as any other SCOTUS position, with the caveat that Kennedy's hiring has gotten even more Kennedyish since he retired

What’s that supposed to mean?

[Anonymous User]

Just as competitive as any other SCOTUS position, with the caveat that Kennedy's hiring has gotten even more Kennedyish since he retired

What’s that supposed to mean?

I'm assuming even more willing to hiring based on connections