Supreme Court Admission Ceremony
The Supreme Court Admissions Ceremony is a unique way for FBA members to be admitted to the bar of the Highest Court in the land. After the ceremony, the YLD hosts a breakfast reception for participants and guests at which time they are greeted by Supreme Court Justices. The program is open to all FBA members, no matter what age. The program has traditionally been scheduled for the first Tuesday following Memorial Day. Announcements first appear each year in the January and February editions of the The Federal Lawyer.
The 2007 YLD Supreme Court Admission Ceremony will be held on May 27, 2008.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS & FEES
In order to participate, you must fill out the Application for Admission to Practice form. The form is available by clicking on the icon below.
In addition to filling out the application form, you will need the signatures of two attorneys already admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court who are willing to sponsor your admission. Your sponsors must know you personally and may not be related to you by blood or marriage. Both sponsors must sign your application but do not need to be present at the ceremony.
The Court requires that you submit with your application a certificate from the presiding judge, clerk, or other authorized official of the highest court of the State, Commonwealth, Territory or Possession where you are admitted to practice. The certificate must confirm that you have been admitted to practice for at least three years, that you have not been the subject of disciplinary action within the last three years and that you are of good moral and professional character. The Court will not accept a Bar Association certificate in place of the certificate from the highest court of your State, Commonwealth, Territory or Possession.
If your application form and certification are properly submitted, you will be asked to pay an admission fee of $200.00 and take an oath affirming that you will conduct yourself "uprightly and according to law, and ... support the Constitution of the United States." The check should be made payable to U.S. Supreme Court.
You will also need to provide a check to cover the fee for the breakfast to follow the ceremony. Breakfast is provided at a cost of $15.00 per person. Please provide a second check made out to the Federal Bar Association to cover the cost of you and any guest you plan to bring.
In order to be considered for admission at the YLD Ceremony you must mail the following to the Younger Lawyers Division of the Federal Bar Association by April 11, 2008.
- Your completed application form (which must include a signature from each of your two sponsors)
- Your certificate from the highest court where you are admitted to practice
- A check in the amount of $200.00 made payable to the Clerk, U.S. Supreme Court
- A check in the amount of $15.00 made payable to the Federal Bar Association ($30.00 if you are bringing a guest to the reception)
Applications received after this date cannot be considered for participation in the program.
Once you have compiled all of the material necessary for admission, please mail it to the following address:
Federal Bar Association YLD Supreme Court Admissions Ceremony 1220 North Fillmore St., Ste. 444 Arlington, VA 22201DO NOT SEND YOUR APPLICATION DIRECTLY TO THE SUPREME COURT
The Ceremony is Limited to 50 applicants and applications will be processed in the order that they are received. One your application is received, we will review it to make certain it meets all requirements set forth by the Court. If there are any deficiencies, we will contact you and use our best efforts to attempt to make all necessary modification.
Please make sure you include with your submission packet the following
- Your completed application form (which must include a signature from each of your two sponsors)
- Your certificate from the highest court where you are admitted to practice
- A check in the amount of $200.00 made payable to the Clerk, U.S. Supreme Court
- A check in the amount of $15.00 made payable to the Federal Bar Association ($30.00 if you are bringing a guest to the reception)
Your admission to the United States Supreme Court will be a memorable event. Applicants should meet in the public cafeteria at the U.S. Supreme Court Building at 8:30a.m. Please sign in with the FBA/YLD representative who will be at a table in the cafeteria. As soon as all applicants are signed in, you will be lined up and taken to one of the Court’s conference rooms. From the conference room the applicants will be taken to the Court’s chamber by security personnel and seated before the bench. Guests will be seated in the rear of the chamber.
When the Court is ready the Justices will enter, and any business scheduled for that day will be conducted. This may include the announcement of decisions or remarks by the Justices to the applicants. Once all official Court business is complete, the movant will formally request the Court to Accept the application for admission to the bar. The oath will be administered, and the Justices will retire to chambers.
The ceremony will be followed by a breakfast reception. All of the newly admitted applicants and their guests will return to the conference room . We have traditionally been joined by several of the Justices during the breakfast reception. A historical tour of the Court building will also be available.
Each admittee may bring one guest to the ceremony. Space in the courtroom is severely limited and security concerns make it impossible to permit a large number of people into the room. Consequently, we can not guarantee that guests will be admitted to the courtroom for the ceremony. Our attempts to seat guests in past years have been met with mixed success. Guests are welcome to join the admittees at the reception after the ceremony.
CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
If you have any questions regarding this program or need any additional information, please contact either Jonathan E. Tobin (JETobin@FBDLegal.com) or Matthew C. Moschella (MCMoschella@sherin.com).