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SUPREME COURT INSTITUTE ruler

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Commencement Speech
May 21, 2006


“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 Georgetown University Law Center Supreme Court Institute seeks to promote understanding in law students, faculty, the legal profession, and the nation of the history, significance, and dynamics of Supreme Court decision-making. Georgetown is uniquely qualified to accomplish these objectives. The Law Center's faculty includes numerous scholars who regularly write, comment, and sponsor conferences on the Court, many former law clerks who worked for individual Justices, and an extraordinarily large number of professors who practice before the Court. The Law Center's close proximity to the Supreme Court - only a ten-minute walk separates the two institutions - makes the Court a virtual classroom for many Georgetown students who both attend oral arguments and enroll in courses that closely study cases pending before the Court.

 The Institute's activities reflect the faculty's expertise and interests. Institute activities include scholarly conferences, lectures, workshops, and informal brown-bag discussions on Court-related matters. These include individual cases, curricular innovations designed to promote student understanding of the peculiar dynamics of the Court's decision-making processes, and programs more broadly directed to the legal profession as well as to the general public. A notable feature of the Institute is its administration of a Supreme Court Moot Court Program, which taps into faculty expertise by preparing counsel for oral argument before the Court. During October Term 2007, the Institute provided moot courts to counsel in 97 percent of the cases before the Court. This component of the Supreme Court Institute further demonstrates Georgetown's deep commitment to public service.

textbox 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

  • Richard Lazarus, Professor of Law and SCI Co-Director
    (On leave 2008-2009)
  • Steven Goldblatt, Professor of Law, Appellate Litigation Clinic Director, and SCI Co-Director
    Phone: (202) 662-9558
    Email: goldblat@law.georgetown.edu
  • Tina Drake Zimmerman, SCI Deputy Director
    Phone: (202) 662-9630
    Email: draket@law.georgetown.edu