But the Chief Justice is still here. He sits hunched over a worn formica desk with a laptop computer glowing in the dark, a stack of papers piled high on either side of the keyboard. His brow is furrowed. And he's listening not to music, but to spoken word.

"This is the Supreme Court's oral argument in Fisher v. University of Texas," he explains quickly. "If it renders a decision about affirmative action, it might implicate the school, and we have to be ready. It's like we're a part of the federal system."

At twenty-two years of age, one would expect this lanky, red-headed frame to be out drinking or partying, but he sees his role as far more serious than you might expect. "Justice is literally"--he pauses, breathing hotly through open lips--"literally in our hands and I can't just take that lightly."

He stands and walks to gaze out at the Buffalo campus below, the glow of spring flowers displayed under the milky street lights. He extends his pale fingertips to caress the top of a plaster bust of James Madison.

"When it's over," he murmurs to no one in particular, "I'll be remembered for what we did for InterVarsity [Christian Fellowship]. We're a system of checks and balances." He refers to the case of a religious organization that expelled one of its gay officers who refused to sign the statement of faith. After the Senate derecognized the organization, the organization appealed to SWJ, which re-recognized them. (The University later retracted SWJ's decision.)

"But," he continues, impervious to reality, "it's the truants, the delinquents, the potheads who got justice, and the assault victims who sought it."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2237955&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5102164",#23060448)

IT'S NOT QUITE 10 AM ON A BRIGHT SATURDAY MORNING, and already three thick tomes are splayed out before him on a second-hand Ikea desk in the corner of his otherwise barren living room: "Canons of Construction: A Primer"; "An Analytical Approach To Statutory Interpretation"; and "The Case Against Originalism." He seems preoccupied as he pages through each volume in turn, searching for something that he can't quite seem to put his finger on. "I remember reading a phrase that really summed up the approach that I want to take in this opinion--I think it was Latin. I don't actually read Latin myself, but I appreciate the inherent rigor in it... there's just something to be said for invoking a principle that Abraham Lincoln might have invoked when he was practicing. A phrase that just clarifies everything that came before. That's what I always strive for. Like magic."

The Chief Justice isn't the only member of his family who seems bewitched by the possibility of a life in the law. "I think that on some level, [redacted]'s always been destined to go into the law," his mother declares as she puts a pot of water on the stove back at the modest family home in [retracted]. "I saw it in him from when he was just a boy. He never said anything to me directly until he was much older, but you didn't have to spell it out: it was clear as a crystal ball. He just had such a judicial temperament." She adds some thyme and garlic to the water and closes her eyes, murmuring something just under her breath. "And he has a very keen sense of justice--this family has suffered its share of persecution in generations past, so I think it might just be something in the blood." She sighs and continues stirring.

***

YET IN SPITE OF HIS MOTHER'S PROGNOSTICATIONS, the Chief Justice says that he's really still considering his options. "I'm certainly interested in law school," he admits, "but I haven't taken the Law School Admissions Test--colloquially known as the 'LSAT'--just yet." This raises an obvious question: Why not? He leans back in his chair and sighs deeply. "It's a lot of pressure, you know. It's... the rest of your life hangs in the balance." His eyes dart up from the floor to meet my gaze for a split second. Then he looks back down again. "I've been doing a lot of research in the meantime. On the internet. I'm really learning as much as I can. And this way I know that when I do take the LSAT, I'll be ready." He smiles. "I just always want to *know*... you know?"

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2237955&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5102164",#23063841)

1800000000000

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2237955&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5102164",#23066336)

I could FEEL the cacophony of emotion.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2237955&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5102164",#23825996)

"At twenty-two years of age, one would expect this lanky, red-headed frame to be out drinking or partying, but he sees his role as far more serious than you might expect. "Justice is literally"--he pauses, breathing hotly through open lips--"literally in our hands and I can't just take that lightly."

jfc

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2237955&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5102164",#25347115)