Law Students

Epiphany

By Dr. Bombay

As our recent foray in poetry suggests, the 1 L rite of passage that is the Appellate Brief is now finished. Oral Arguments are next, followed by exams, and then I, for one, am going to collapse into a heap.

Other than exhaustion and caffeine addiction, one of things that I find most amazing about law school is that it gives you new insight into the way our society functions. Take for example this appellate brief. Our problem focused on a wrongful discharge case under the ADEA, and was set in the 5th Circuit. In doing the type of exhaustive research required for such an undertaking, you?re able to see the development of the interpretation of the law over time. Specifically, you are able to see how the appointment of jurists with a particular judicial philosophy can really shape public policy.

Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, it?s kind of scary to think about judges being access points for the promotion of a political ideology. A judge?s position on abortion has been a major point of contention for his appointment to the Supreme Court for years. There are however many areas of the law (e.g. employment litigation) where a judge can have a far more substantive impact on everyday life. Just look at a case like Kelo v. City of New London to see what I mean.

While it may seem naïve, all this has really opened my eyes to the argument that a political candidate is only as important as the type of judges they appoint. A good lesson for an election year.

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Full post as published by Fight The Hypo on April 02, 2008 (boomark / email).