Brandeis School of Law students reflect on trip to Supreme Court, meeting with Justice Kennedy

On a rainy but unseasonably warm day in mid-December, 32 students from the Brandeis School of Law took an “inspiring” trip to Washington, D.C. Led by Professor Justin Walker, the contingent of 1L students were able to meet privately with Justice Anthony Kennedy for an hour at the Supreme Court.

Afterwards, they received a behind-the-scenes peek at the Court, took a tour of Congress, and met with Utah Senator Mike Lee. A dozen of the students later toured the West Wing of the White House, and a similar number met with Senator Mitch McConnell’s Chief Counsel Daniel Cameron, a 2011 Brandeis School of Law graduate.

One student spoke for many when she called the day in D.C. “the best educational experience I have had,” and another captured the sentiments of many others when he said the “once-in-a-lifetime trip in many ways validated my decision to study law.”

The day began with a walk up the marble steps of the Supreme Court.  While walking toward “statues flanking the steps that represent our ideas of justice,” Marianna Michael found it “difficult not to be engulfed by the grandeur of the Supreme Court.”  Even though she had seen pictures of the Court many times, “seeing it in person was absolutely breathtaking.”

Her classmate, Richard Winterkorn, felt the same. “I spent over 15 years in uniform and under an oath to support and defend [the] ideals of the Constitution that the Court is dedicated to preserving.” It was the beginning of a day that he said would have “a profound impact on me both professionally and personally.”

Inside the Court, Justice Kennedy – at times with humor and other times with poignancy – reflected on the rule of law, the judicial process, and the relation between separation of powers and individual liberty.

“(He) pulled up a chair and had a conversation with us, full of personal stories and anecdotes, and not at all like he was giving a formal speech,” Gena McCubbins said.

Student A.J. Besik found the Justice’s remarks “engaging and informative,” especially his “ideas regarding what the law in general and the Constitution in particular mean to him.”

Other students left the meeting inspired about the law.

“Coming off the grueling experience of finals, I was disillusioned with my purpose in law school.  Listening to Justice Kennedy speak reminded me why I chose to come to law school in the first place,” Michael said.

Winterkorn added, “While listening to Justice Kennedy, in my mind I could hear the words he had written in the many decisions he authored supporting the dignity and equality of Americans.”

After their meeting with Justice Kennedy, the students enjoyed a private, docent-led tour of the courtroom, lunch in the cafeteria, and a quick stop by the gift shop, where a few students spotted Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

A Supreme Court clerk named Marisa Maleck led the students on a behind-the-scenes tour of the building. Throughout the course of more than an hour, their stops included Justice Thomas’s private office, the chambers of Justices Ginsburg and Scalia, and the court’s massive, gilded library – which Justice David Souter has called the “most beautiful room in Washington, D.C.”  Among their final stops was the basketball court, which sits directly above the courtroom and is called “The Highest Court in the Land.”

Throughout the tour, Maleck shared insights about life as a clerk and about her boss, Justice Clarence Thomas. Students learned to their surprise that Justice Thomas frequently texts his clerks, loves to take road trips in his RV, and is diehard fan of the University of Nebraska’s football and volleyball teams.

“These little facts gave the justices much more of a personality. Getting to see the justices’ personal sides helped me to understand that they are people, too,” Phil Pearson said.

Following their Supreme Court tour, some students walked across the street to Congress, touring the Senate Leadership Office and sitting in the Senate gallery for part of a speech by Senator Orrin Hatch. They also visited the Rotunda, the original Supreme Court (in the Capitol’s basement), and the original Senate Chamber, where legends such as Webster, Clay and Calhoun debated the question of slavery and the meaning of the Union.

One of the highlights of the visit to Congress was an hour-long meeting with Senator Lee. A former clerk for Justice Samuel Alito, Lee took questions about his successful effort to reform an NSA surveillance program he considered unconstitutional, as well as the separation of powers and the process of passing a budget.

“He did not hold back when answering our questions, detailing not only his successes but his frustrations with Congress,” McCubbins said.

“It was encouraging to see a serving Senator take questions candidly from a group of first-year law students. Just the opportunity to interact with someone in that position of the government was an amazing experience,” Besik added.

For quite a few students, the meeting with Senator Lee and the tour of Congress did not mark the end of their time in the Capitol building. Around a dozen also met with Cameron, who was able to speak about the amazing opportunities that are available to Brandeis graduates, and was also able to provide insights into what it’s like to work with the United States Senate’s Majority Leader.

For a dozen students, the last stop of the day was a tour of the White House’s West Wing, including the Oval Office. Pearson called it “incredibly humbling” to see where the President works and spends all of his time. Rebecca Sears said it was “phenomenal” to “walk where so many notable leaders have been before.”

In addition to planned tours at the Supreme Court, Congress, and the White House, students – many of whom had never been to Washington, D.C. – took advantage of the cultural opportunities of the city, touring monuments, taking in a movie at the Smithsonian’s theater, and enjoying a Washington Capitals hockey game.

Karina Villa said she cried tears of joy upon her first visit to the Lincoln Memorial.

“I never imagined the greatness and the feeling I would get to be able to be within feet of the memorial. At that same monument, at the top of the steps, you simply have to turn around and see the Washington Memorial from afar. I remember turning around and just standing there in admiration. I think back to when speeches are heard, or when the news captures events that are held in that same special place I was looking at,” she said.

Still, it was the visit to the Supreme Court and Congress that left the biggest impression on most students.

“Growing up, the Supreme Court was always a pinnacle of justice. On our trip, I had the honor of meeting one justice, running into another in the gift shop, and touring the highest court in the land.  If someone had told me that I would experience all of that six months ago, I would have thought they were lying,” Michael said. “This trip was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

*This trip was made possible in large part thanks to generous donations from Mary B. White, C. Edward Glasscock, Patrick R. Northam, Alison M. Stemler, and Jeremiah A. Byrne.