A Wise Justice, and a Great Boss

April 2006

A Wise Justice, and a Great Boss
ITEM DETAILS
Type: Law review article
Author: Michelle T. Friedland
Source: Stan. L. Rev.
Citation: 58 Stan. L. Rev. 117(2006)

Other pages in the O'Connor Institute Online Archive mentioned in this article:

NAME / TITLETYPE
Michelle T. FriedlandLaw Clerk

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Article Text

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A WISE JUSTICE, AND A GREAT Boss

Michelle T. Friedland*

"Thank you very much for coming," Justice O'Connor said as I entered her chambers to interview for a clerkship. "I'm so sorry to have asked you to make the trip all the way out here from Stanford."

Apparently Justice O'Connor didn't realize that this was the most exciting moment of my life, one for which I would have gladly traveled anywhere. "But it is very important that I meet potential clerks in person, because each of my clerks becomes part ofmy family." She then asked me as many questions about my family and hobbies as she did about my legal views.

I served as one of four clerks to Justice O'Connor during October Term, 2001, following my graduation from Stanford Law School and a year-long clerkship on the D.C. Circuit. I quickly learned that Justice O'Connor was serious about treating her clerks like family. She integrated us not only into the work of the Supreme Court but also into many other aspects of her rich life.

My days typically began at 7:40 A.M., when I met Justice O'Connor and her other female clerk in her chambers. Together we walked upstairs to the women's locker room and changed into gym clothes for the exercise class the Justice hosted on the fourth-floor basketball court, often referred to as "the highest court in the land." There, we joined about fifteen of her female friends for an hour of Pilates or aerobics. Many of Justice O'Connor's friends wore T shirts with such slogans as "Exercise Defends

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