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The Daily Docket

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

By Megha L.

Good morning. Today we look at how law grads are increasingly stacking judicial clerkships, likely limiting opportunities for others. Plus, Luigi Mangione is due in court for a hearing in the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case, and a federal judge stepped aside from the DOJ's Georgia voter rolls case amid a misconduct scandal. We hope your Wednesday keeps expanding just like the universe, but with good vibes, not dark energy.

Study finds law grads are 'stacking' judicial clerkships, curtailing opportunities for others

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Judicial clerkship "stacking" – where law graduates complete multiple coveted clerkships before entering the workforce – is the latest trend among newly-minted JDs. But it is shrinking opportunities for non-elite school grads, first-generation lawyers and those who can't afford to delay higher-paid work, according to a new study by three law professors.

Supreme Court clerks now arrive with more than two prior clerkships on average, compared with the 1980s, when some were hired straight out of law school.

Information gaps among judges and students, along with easy online applications, are fueling the trend, says Vanderbilt law professor Tracey George, who co-authored the study with Mitu Gulati of the University of Virginia School of Law and Albert Yoon of the University of Toronto.

Karen Sloan has more here.

Coming up today

Criminal: Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down a health insurance executive on a Manhattan sidewalk, is due in state court for a hearing ahead of his murder trial. Mangione missed a court appearance on Tuesday due to a paperwork error related to his transfer ⁠from custody.
Health: The Trump administration is slated to file its opening brief at the 1st Circuit in its appeal of U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy's ruling blocking key elements of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to reshape U.S. vaccine policy, including reducing ‌the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccinations.
Banking: U.S. District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan will hold a hearing in the U.S. criminal case against Halkbank after prosecutors said they were seeking to dismiss their indictment against the Turkish lender. Halkbank was charged in 2019 with helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions. It pleaded not guilty.
Government: The Trump administration faces a deadline today to give U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston a list of every exhibit it removed from national parks nationwide. The judge issued a preliminary injunction on June 12, saying the U.S. Department of the Interior's actions under Trump set a "dangerous precedent of censorship and sanitization."
Criminal: Alleged Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero is due to appear before U.S. District Judge Frederic Block in New York for a status conference.

Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes.

More top news

Industry insight

U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross disqualified herself from hearing the DOJ's bid to force Georgia to turn over its non-public voter registration list after being reprimanded for attending a political event hosted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' campaign.
A federal court in Rhode Island declined to discipline Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Bolan for not informing U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose that an immigration detainee was wanted in connection with a homicide investigation before his release, but issued a rare public statement accusing ICE of an "unfounded" attack on the judge. Read the statement.
Georgia-based plaintiffs’ firm John Foy & Associates inked a deal with private equity firm Uplift Investors under a model that would allow outside investments into a firm while avoiding professional rules prohibiting fee sharing with non-attorneys.