A Bar Member’s Visit to the Supreme Court

I attended oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month, checking off an item from my lawyerly bucket-list. I was seated in the special section of the courtroom reserved for members of the Supreme Court Bar, immediately behind the podium where counsel stood to argue a constitutional question. The nine justices sat on the bench only a couple dozen feet opposite me.

I have argued five cases in the Texas Supreme Court and at least one in 11 of 14 Texas courts of appeal. I have been counsel on SCOTUS cert petitions and responses and the occasional amicus brief over the years. But I never had the opportunity to argue before the High Court. I realized I needed to make my own arrangements to watch our Supremes in action.