On the morning of March 19, 2007, I entered the grand courtroom of the U.S. Supreme Court and eagerly slipped into one of the worst seats in the house. My spot—far from center stage and with a view obstructed by enormous marble columns—was located in the section reserved for the justices’ law clerks so they could see, or at least hear, legal history being made. I had the privilege of serving that year as a clerk for Justice Stephen Breyer, assisting with tasks such as drafting written opinions and evaluating the merits of potential cases.
