In the 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a young James Stewart plays Mr. Smith, a newly appointed senator who goes to D.C. with high hopes of making a difference and ends up launching a 25-hour filibuster, during which he talks about American ideals. While my trip to D.C. in May 2024 was not for the purpose of appearing before Congress for a filibuster, the trip was a momentous one for me. I traveled to Washington D.C. to be sworn into practice in front of the Supreme Court of the United States. It was already a hot and humid in D.C. day at 6:45 a.m. when I had to leave my hotel to join my group and make the 7 a.m. report time in front of the SCOTUS building and, after a few minutes spent taking pictures for posterity, we made our way in through security to the first of several holding areas. In one of the holding areas, we had breakfast while we waited. (In case you are wondering, SCOTUS catering is pretty much like all event catering – muffins and bagels with coffee and juice. I’m not sure what I was expecting. Maybe RBG shaped waffles???) Three hours after passing through security (yes – three hours from going into the building until the main event), I was sitting in the historic courtroom, waiting for Court to convene promptly at 10 a.m. The Justices arrived from behind the velvet drapes and quickly took their places so that they could announce the day’s opinions. The day’s released opinions were Coinbase, Inc. v. Suski, et al., 144 S.Ct. 1186 (2024) (regarding arbitration clauses), Brown v. United States, 144 S.Ct. 1195 (2024) (involving interpretation of the Armed Career Criminal Act), and Alexander v. S.C. State Conf. of the NAACP, 144 S. Ct. 1221 (2024) (involving congressional redistricting), Once the justices finished with that, it was time for each group of prospective admittees to be presented to the Court.
Our group’s sponsor presented us for admission to the Supreme Court Bar and I have it on good authority that she was warned to stick to the exact wording of the script she had been given, or risk being held in contempt of SCOTUS. The US Supreme Court is very serious about rules and protocol. All aspiring admittees were admitted and sworn in at around 10:15 a.m. and Court then recessed for the day. After some obligatory souvenir shopping in the SCOTUS gift shop, my group attended a private lecture, back in the courtroom where we learned some about the history of the Court and about the historic courtroom itself.
I handle family law appeals in our North Carolina State courts and family law cases from North Carolina are not likely to end up going through the Federal appeals system to end up at the US Supreme Court. So, it is likely that I will end up arguing a case in the US Supreme Court? Probably not. But, as an appellate attorney, going through the process to be admitted to practice in front of the highest appellate Court in our Country was something that I have always wanted to do and now being licensed in that Court gives me perspective on what it is I do every day. If you have a case in the North Carolina court system and need to appeal an order, or if the other side has appealed an order and you need to defend that appeal, I’d be happy to talk to you about the appeals process and about your options. To date, I have handled more than 65 appeals in the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court. I have had oral argument in 14 of those cases. I have been certified as a specialist in both family law and appellate practice, so I am uniquely qualified and have the experience necessary to assist you with your family law appeal.
If you are in need of assistance, the attorneys at Collins Family & Elder Law Group can help.
