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• OT 2009 Supreme Court Overview
  September 8, 2009 (PDF)
• Supreme Court 2008-2009 Term Associated Press Interactive (Flash)

 

“The [Georgetown
Supreme Court] Institute’s moot court program is highly valued by novice and experienced advocates alike, because of the
high quality and skill
of the judges that [the] Institute . . . is able to attract to do the moot courts. These programs have made it easier both for first-timers and experienced advocates
to do a more professional job before the Court.”

 ~ Judge John G. Roberts, Jr.,
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (now Chief Justice of the United States)

The Supreme Court Institute brings together faculty, students, and practicing lawyers to study the Supreme Court in all of its dimensions – not only the substance of Supreme Court decisions, but also the history and modern significance of the Court, the dynamics of Supreme Court decision-making, and the nature of legal practice before the Court.  The Institute is supported by Georgetown Law Center faculty with a varied and rich understanding of the Court:  leading scholars who write about the Court, former Supreme Court clerks and assistants to the Solicitor General, and over 20 faculty members who brief and argue cases before the Supreme Court.  No law school has more faculty members with a hands-on, working knowledge of the Court.  The Institute also works closely with an outside Advisory Board composed of experienced and highly-regarded Supreme Court practitioners, including four former United States Solicitor Generals. 

The Institute’s activities are designed to promote a deeper understanding of the Supreme Court among students, academics, legal professionals, and the general public.  The centerpiece of the Institute is the Supreme Court Moot Court Program, which taps into the expertise of faculty and outside practitioners to prepare counsel for oral argument before the Court.  The Institute offers its moot courts as a public service and irrespective of the positions taken by counsel, reflecting a core commitment to the quality of Supreme Court advocacy in all cases.  In recent years, the Institute has advanced that goal by conducting moot courts for advocates in over 95 percent of the Court’s cases.  Other Institute activities include annual briefings for the press and students, scholarly conferences, panel presentations on issues before the Court and Court decision-making, and informal discussions of particular oral arguments and Court decisions.

Our programming, including most of our moot courts, is open to students, providing them a unique opportunity to explore the decision-making process behind Supreme Court opinions and the nuances of Supreme Court advocacy.  Our activities also provide practicing lawyers and academics with opportunities to exchange ideas about the Court and support each other in their work.  The Law Center’s close proximity to the Court – only a ten-minute walk separates the two – makes the Court a virtual classroom for students who attend oral argument and enroll in Court-related classes, and facilitates collaboration and close contact among Supreme Court practitioners, faculty, and students. 

How to Contact Us Supreme Court Institute Georgetown University Law Center 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 Phone: (202) 662-9630 Email: draket@law.georgetown.edu

Pamela Harris, Visiting Professor of Law and SCI Executive Director Richard Lazarus, Professor of Law and SCI Faculty Director Steven Goldblatt, Professor of Law, Appellate Litigation Clinic Director, and SCI Faculty Director Tina Drake Zimmerman, SCI Deputy Director