Washington DC!!

Well...here is the long awaited post on my trip to the US Supreme Court in DC! To remind you - a case that came through the Federal Public Defender's Office I interned at was picked up by the SC. We journeyed up there to watch our boss argue the case. All I can say is that this was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The significance of sitting in the Supreme Court may not be realized to those not passionate about the law. There is really no way to describe it! The closest I can come would be to ask you to imagine every celebrity or hero you ever wanted to meet all in one room for you to stare at and listen to for an hour. The trip inside the Courtroom was not without its drama though. Sit back and enjoy.

For those who do not know, the Supreme Court only has general seating for 40 people. Thus, to make it inside the Court you have to get there several hours before the hearing to wait in line. Our hearing started at 10 am, so we thought arriving at 7 am would sufficient. We were WRONG. When we arrived, we rounded the corner to the Supreme Court Building and saw the line. I believe we ended up being about number 150 or so in the line. We were NOT getting into the hearing. We each tried in our own way to get into the hearing. Sminu, one male intern, took on the guard at the front of the line. No luck. Zena (the other female intern) and I pretended to need a bathroom break. We made it into the building and began looking for a way into the Courtroom. We tried the lady working the information desk, other interns in the building, and anyone standing around...no luck. We then overheard the Court room was on the second floor of the building. We attempted to leisurely stroll onto the elevator. "Second Floor, Please." I stated to the Guard in the elevator. He replied, "Do you have a reservation with the Court?" "Uhhh, no?" Busted. Kicked off the elevator. Our last futile effort was to pick the lock on the stairway. No luck.

Defeated we returned to the line outside. We waited. And waited. And waited. Finally the Guard said they were forming a 3 minute line. This line was for tourists. They allow you to watch 3 minutes of the Hearing and then you must move on. We thought that was better than nothing, so we jumped in that line. Three metal detectors later, I was shoving my belongings in a locker in order to make it further into the building. Nothing is allowed in the Courtroom. As I strolled up to the other interns, one of them met me with a smile. "We may have hope" Michael said. He had spoken with one of the secret service agents and told him our story. The Agent was currently in the Courtroom looking to see if there was a place for us to sit. The Agent soon came out and motioned the four of us to the front of the line. "Come with me" he said. He escorted us in and seated us in 4 chairs he had brought in himself. We only ended up missing about 10 minutes of the hour long Hearing. Thank you Lord!! That Agent is my hero (and I guess I have to give props to Michael as well)!

Security is S-E-R-I-O-U-S in the Courtroom. There are secret service agents everywhere. Two of them stand with their backs to the Justices and constantly watch the crowd. They walk through the gallery to look at people closely as well. It was very intimidating. The Justices were fantastic! Scalia was cracking me up (of course), and Breyer was leaning back in his chair looking at the ceiling the whole time (very disinterested). Ginsburg was just the cutest little thing I have ever seen. (And no Scott, I didn't get a chance to talk to Thomas about his scandalous interactions with Anita Hill. Sorry to disappoint). All in all it was a trip of a lifetime. It was like an out of body experience the entire time I was in the Courtroom. I tried to memorize everything I could about the room, the feelings I had, the Justices, the arguments, everything. If you want to hear more just let me know! I will post some pictures from the highlights of the trip later :)