Law clerks have assisted the justices of the
United States Supreme Court in various capacities since the first one was hired by Justice
Horace Gray in 1882.[1] Each justice is permitted to have three or four law clerks per Court term. Most persons serving in this capacity are recent
law school graduates (and typically graduated at the top of their class).[2] Among their many functions, clerks do legal research that assists justices in deciding what cases to accept and what questions to ask during oral arguments, prepare
memoranda, and draft
orders and
opinions.[3] After retiring from the Court, a justice may continue to employ a law clerk, who may be assigned to provide additional assistance to an active justice or may assist the retired justice when sitting by designation with a lower court.
^Ward, Artemus; Weiden, David L. (2006). Sorcerers' Apprentices: 100 Years of Law Clerks at the United States Supreme Court. New York, New York: New York University Press. pp. 1–5.
ISBN978-0-8147-9404-3.
Ward, Artemus and David L. Weiden (2006). Sorcerers' Apprentices: 100 Years of Law Clerks at the United States Supreme Court. New York, NY: New York University Press.
ISBN978-0-8147-9420-3,
ISBN978-0-8147-9420-3.