About the Supreme Court Clinic
The Clinic specializes in Supreme Court litigation against government entities, such as criminal, immigration, prisoner, and civil liberties appeals. All cases that the Clinic takes are staffed by a combination of students and faculty. The Clinic handles cases at both the certiorari and merits stages, representing clients seeking or opposing certiorari, on the merits, or as amici curiae.
How to Contact Us
We welcome inquiries about representation. Please direct any such inquiries to Sam Estreicher, Meir Feder or Don Ayer.
The Clinic's mailing address is:
Supreme Court Litigation Clinic
c/o Professor Sam Estreicher
New York University School of Law
40 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
(212) 998-6226
Supreme Court Clinic Seminar
In addition to the clinic's fieldwork component, students participate in a weekly seminar that seeks to enhance the students' analytical, written and oral skills as well as to familiarize students with Supreme Court practice and procedure.
Clinic participants delve into the nuances of Supreme Court practice, including the certiorari process, the art of crafting merits and amicus briefs for the Supreme Court, the role of the Office of the Solicitor General, and oral argument. Accompanying exercises , such as drafting questions presented, simulating oral arguments, and mooting practitioners preparing for oral argument before the Court, drive home practical aspects of Supreme Court work.
Since the Supreme Court clinic covers a broad range of legal issues, students also learn about substantive areas of law in which the Supreme Court frequently grants petitions for certiorari. As students typically are broken down into teams to work on individual cases, these teams present and discuss pending litigation with the other clinic participants during the seminar. At some point during the year, students travel to Washington, D.C. to observe an oral argument.
By the conclusion of the year, students have honed their advocacy skills and gained a broad understanding of the inner workings of the Supreme Court and the capacity to participate meaningfully in Supreme Court practice.