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37 Chicago-Kent Alumni Sworn In to the U.S.
Supreme Court Bar  

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., administers the oath and
addresses the inductees and their guests

CHICAGO–November 12, 2007–Thirty-seven Chicago-Kent College of Law graduates were admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court on October 15. The induction ceremony was conducted by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., who administered the oath to the group. Associate Justices John Paul Stevens, Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, David Souter, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg also attended the ceremony.

Inductees came from Illinois, Oregon, Virginia, Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Maryland, Kansas and the District of Columbia. They included graduates dating to the classes of 1952 and 1953, spouses, and a father and both his children.

"It really was a great honor to act as a movant for the alumni of Chicago-Kent at the United States Supreme Court," said Chicago attorney Terrence J. Lavin '83. "Our group consisted of lawyers of every age and experience level. We had alumni who graduated in the '50s and in the new millennium. The feeling of hearing your name mentioned in the Supreme Court is one that every lawyer should experience at least once."

To qualify for admission to the Bar of the Supreme Court, candidates must be admitted to practice in the highest court of a state, commonwealth, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia for at least three years immediately before the date of the application. Applicants must not have been the subject of any adverse disciplinary action during that time and must appear to the Court to be of good moral and professional character. Each applicant must be sponsored by two members of the Bar of the Supreme Court who are personally acquainted with the candidates, but are not relatives.

Organized by Chicago-Kent's Office of Alumni Relations, the swearing-in was the culmination of two days of activities in Washington, D.C., which planners hope will become an annual event. On the day before the ceremony, Dean Harold J. Krent, who has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, hosted a reception at the University Club for inductees, their families and guests, and Chicago-Kent alumni who live and work in the Washington, D.C., area. Chicago-Kent professors Nancy S. Marder, who clerked for Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, and Carolyn Shapiro, who clerked for Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer, shared their Supreme Court experiences with the group.

Immediately following the swearing-in ceremony on Monday, Chief Justice Roberts, Associate Justice Ginsburg and Clerk of the Court William Suter joined the Chicago-Kent inductees and their guests at a breakfast reception.

Chicago attorney Michael M. Marick '82 also served as a movant. "The United States Supreme Court is the pinnacle of what our profession represents," he said. "The day, from start to finish, was truly awe inspiring and humbling. The private audience we had with Chief Justice Roberts, and then with Justice Ginsburg, was an experience we will remember forever. It was all the more special for us and our families to celebrate the day together as representatives of Chicago-Kent."

Chicago-Kent alumni newly inducted to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar are:

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