Bar News Highlight

• Publication year: 2005
• Pages: 6

34 Colo.Law. 6 Colorado Bar Journal 2005.

2005, January, Pg. 6. Bar News Highlight

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6

Vol. 34, No. 1, Pg. 6

The Colorado Lawyer
January 2005
Vol. 34, No. 1 [Page 6]

Bar News
Bar News Highlight
by Anthony Viorst

The "Highlight" page of Bar News spotlights recent activities and special events around the Bar, and presents brief stories that deal with lawyer activities outside the practice of law. If you have print or digital photos of a recent event to share with fellow CBA members, if you would like to recommend a colleague to be "highlighted," or if your local or specialty bar or legal organization has marked a notable milestone and there's a short story to tell about it, the "Bar News Highlight" page might be the appropriate venue. Please contact Leona Martinez at leona"martinez@cobar.org or Amy Sreenen at asreenen@cobar.org with questions

A Visit from the Clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court

by Tony Viorst

William K. Suter

On November 17, 2004, in an event sponsored by the Colorado Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, more than 100 lawyers (the author included) were sworn in to the Bar of the U.S Supreme Court. The event's speakers included U.S District Court Senior Judge John L. Kane, Jr., who addressed the issue of civility in the practice of law, and William K. Suter, Clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court, who provided insight, from his unique perspective, into the workings of the highest Court in the land.

William K. Suter is a retired U.S. Army General who served during the Viet Nam War. He has been Clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court for the past thirteen years and presents himself as a warm and intelligent man with a good sense of humor.

Suter revealed that the U.S. Supreme Court accepts for review approximately 150 of the 6,000 petitions for certiorari ("cert.") filed each year. He said that cert. is most often granted when there is a split in the federal circuit courts regarding a particular issue. When cert. is granted, the Clerk's Office sends a "welcome packet" to each side. This packet contains pointers on matters ranging from briefs specifications and typesetting to the appropriate attire for oral arguments and the proper way to address the Justices.

In his capacity as Clerk, Suter has sat through more than 100 oral arguments before the Court. In his opinion, the key to a successful oral argument is "preparation, preparation...