This summer, TFAS welcomed 31 law students from top law schools across the country to participate in the 2024 Summer Law Fellowship. Students interned for various legal organizations, took two courses on Originalism and Law & Economics at Antonin Scalia Law School, attended weekly law and policy lectures as well as professional development and networking sessions.
Fellows represented top law schools including Stanford Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Georgetown Law Center, Notre Dame Law, University of North Carolina School of Law, University of Illinois College of Law, Villanova Law, Boston University and more.
Andrea Quinan ’24, a student at Catholic University School of Law who interned with the Department of Health and Human Services this summer, said the fellowship laid the foundation for her future legal career.
“The access we got to some of the most pivotal leaders of government, public policy, the private sector, and the judiciary was an absolute privilege,” she said. “I know I am forever changed as a person and as a professional for having participated in this fellowship.”
The Fellows explored the history and competing theories of originalism with Judge Gregory Maggs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and examined the fundamentals of free-market economic theory and its application to core practices of law with Professors James Cooper and Donald Kochan of Scalia Law.
Judge Gregory Maggs called this year’s cohort “extremely impressive.”
“All students prepared diligently for class,” Maggs explained. “At the start of the class, I designated several students to serve as the discussion leaders for each reading assignment. The results were very impressive. The discussion leaders pressed their classmates to think rigorously and to see multiple points of view. In the end, I personally learned a great deal from them.”
Participants attended lectures and discussion sessions on religious liberty, free speech, campaign finance, judicial selections, Supreme Court advocacy, and landmark Supreme Court cases. Together they explored various legal practices from corporate and appellate law to public interest and political law and gained legal insights and career advice from practicing attorneys through our mentor program. Law fellows also had the opportunity to hear from five federal judges through our “Thoughts from the Bench” series, including Judges:
- Douglas Ginsburg (U.S. Court of Appeals DC Circuit)
- Jennifer Elrod (US Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit)
- Chad Readler (U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit)
- Trevor McFadden (U.S. District Court, D.C. Circuit)
- Ryan Holte (U.S. Court of Federal Claims)
Benjamin Wood ’24, a second-year law student at Washington & Lee Law who interned at the Superior Court of D.C., said the program offered “something for everyone.”“From hearing prominent political leaders speak to interacting with federal judges, partners at national law firms, and public interest attorneys, TFAS helps individuals fully immerse themselves in the D.C. professional landscape,” he said.
Students interned for a wide range of public interest organizations, law firms, congressional committees, government agencies, and federal and local courts, including the Institute for Justice, the Manhattan Institute, New Civil Liberties Alliance, Foundation for Individual Rights & Expression, Advancing American Freedom, BakerHostetler, Ropes & Gray, Sidley Austin, U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, Department of Health & Human Services, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the D.C. Superior Court, among other law firms and legal offices.
Desmond Mantle ’24, a second-year student at Stanford Law who interned with the Foundation for Individual Rights & Expression, said he was grateful for his TFAS Law Fellowship experience.
“The TFAS program added to my law school education by improving my understanding of Originalism, giving me a new network of friends and legal professionals, and introducing me to the close-knit and wonderful world of lawyers who fight for liberty,” he said.
Throughout the summer, Fellows heard from top legal officials and leaders from around Washington. Notable speakers included:
- Former Solicitor General Paul Clement
- FEC Commissioner Allen Dickerson
- Randy Barnett of Georgetown Law
- Ilya Shapiro of the Manhattan Institute
- Lori Windham ’00 of the Becket Fund and
- Darpana Sheth of Foundation for Individual Rights & Expression
The program concluded with the 2024 Summer Law Fellows Closing Ceremony where TFAS President Roger Ream ’76 hosted a fireside chat with Vice President Mike Pence, recording a special live-taping of the Liberty + Leadership Podcast.
“The Fund for American Studies has been a bulwark for liberty and constitutional principle for generations in America,” Pence said during the conversation.
He challenged the new TFAS Law Fellowship alumni: “Everything you’ve learned at The Fund for American Studies and this internship program, you’ve got put into practice,” he said. “As you stand up into your career of law, or you get yourself involved in public life in the days ahead, just hold the banner high and never down.”
Listen to the episode here and learn more about the TFAS Law Fellowship at TFAS.org/Law.