I didn’t include him because my sense is that he was on the
appellate side, which isn’t the sort of experience that was under discussion.
But I may well be wrong.
Eugene
From: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu
[mailto:religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] On Behalf Of Tessa Dysart
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2014 10:50 PM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: Re: Practice experience of Justices
Wasn't Clarence Thomas involved in state law in Missouri as an Asst. AG?
On Jul 11, 2014 10:43 PM, "Volokh, Eugene"
<vol...@law.ucla.edu<mailto:vol...@law.ucla.edu>> wrote:
My understanding is that Anthony Kennedy was a local Sacramento
lawyer of some distinction – and not at a large firm – from 1963 to 1975. I
suspect this was largely a civil practice, so it might not go to criminal law
experience (which, as some pointed out, only Alito and Sotomayor seem to have),
but it is relevant to whether someone has had experience with local clients,
and was involved in state law.
Eugene
The justices are elite not only in education but in their distance from the
average American (Ginsberg is the major exception, Sotomayor a bit) in their
careers and professional backgrounds. There is no one like Warren or Black who
dealt with law and the individual level as a local prosecutor or judge. No one
like Powell or Blackmun who had local clients and were involved in business.
No one like White who did something before law school. None have even served
on a state court or been involved in state law.
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