Passing your bar exam, winning your first case, being named partner--lawyers can mark the standout days in their career. For a group of CSU|LAW alumni attorneys and our Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs, add to that list the day you are admitted to practice in the highest court in nation. The memorable event, held at the U.S. Supreme Court on April 18, 2023, was arranged by Dean Lee Fisher and attended by CSU President Dr. Laura Bloomberg. The court also permitted each attorney applicant to bring one guest to the ceremony and sit for the oral arguments the Court was hearing that day.
Attorneys must apply and be admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar to practice before the Court. Additionally, applicants need to be sponsored by two current members of the Supreme Court Bar. Dean Fisher and P. Kelly Tompkins ’81, both of whom were already admitted to the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, generously filled the role for the CSU group.
The swearing in ceremony took place in the courtroom on an argument day before the entire Court with Chief Justice Roberts presiding. Chief Justice Roberts called Dean Fisher to the podium, and Dean Fisher, serving as the “movant”, read the individual names of our attorneys, stated that each applicant met the requirements, and moved their admission to the Bar. As Dean Fisher read each name, each applicant stood.
Following the swearing in ceremony, the group heard the oral arguments in the case of Groff v. DeJoy, centering on whether a Christian U.S. postal worker’s refusal to work Sundays caused undue burden on his employer. Oral Argument on C-Span.
In addition to the professional prestige and the ability to practice at the Court, members of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar receive exclusive benefits, including special seating for oral arguments in the courtroom, access to the court’s library, and a certificate of admission which, according to Dean Fisher, is the “mic drop” of all office decor for lawyers.
“We are proud of our distinguished CSU|LAW alumni attorneys and honored to share this special day with them,” said Dean Fisher. “We say that CSU|LAW is your ‘law school for life,’ and we truly celebrate each success and milestone.”
Congratulations to our extraordinary CSU|LAW group on admittance to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar!
Tony Asher '63, Founder, Weston, Inc.
Brett Barragate '96, Partner, Jones Day
Dana Barragate ’95, Attorney, Federal Trade Commission
Carolyn Broering-Jacobs, CSU|LAW Associate Dean
Matthew Crawford '94, Chairman & CEO, ParkOhio
Julie Crocker '06, Partner, Taft
Michael Fishman '95, Shareholder, Greenberg Trauig
Sarah Flannery '02, Partner, Thompson Hine
Michael Haas '94, Partner, Latham & Watkins
Brenden Kelley '15, Founder/Partner, Brenden Kelley Law
Donna Zapis Thomas ’87, Co-Founder/Managing Partner, Rockport Retirement Community
Bob Vilsack '87, Chief Legal Officer, ParkOhio
Read More about the event in Dean Fisher's Monday Morning Message