U.S. Supreme Court Bar inducts 28 IIT Chicago-Kent alumni

Twenty-eight IIT Chicago-Kent alumni were admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court on May 23. The induction ceremony was conducted by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., who administered the oath to the group. Associate Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan were also present.

Inductees, who graduated from Chicago-Kent between 1973 and 2007, came from Alaska, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Virginia and were moved in admission by alumnus George Zelcs '79.

Organized by the Chicago-Kent Alumni Association, the swearing-in was the culmination of three days of activities in Washington, D.C. On the day before the ceremony, Dean Harold J. Krent hosted a reception at the University Club for inductees, their families and guests, and Chicago-Kent alumni from the Washington, D.C., area. Jerry Goldman, director of the Oyez Project, spoke about the multimedia archive of Supreme Court cases since the installation of a recording system in October 1955 and demonstrated the Oyez Today apps on his iPhone and iPad.

Immediately following the swearing-in ceremony on Monday, Chief Justice Roberts and Associate Justice Ginsburg spoke with Chicago-Kent inductees and their guests at a breakfast reception. Later that day, some of the applicants and guests were treated to a special tour of the Senate chambers, took an official U.S. Capitol tour and watched a vote from the Senate gallery. On Tuesday morning, several members of the group spent a few minutes with Peter J. Roskam '89 and Randy Hultgren '93, Chicago-Kent alumni currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"I am delighted that so many of our alumni were able to gain such valuable glimpses into the inner workings of both the Supreme Court and the Senate," said Dean Harold J. Krent, who has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.

To qualify for admission to the Bar of the Supreme Court, candidates must be admitted to practice in the highest court of a state, commonwealth, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia for at least three years immediately before the date of the application. Applicants must not have been the subject of any adverse disciplinary action during that time and must appear to the Court to be of good moral and professional character. Each applicant must submit two letters of recommendation from members of the Bar of the Supreme Court who are personally acquainted with the candidates, but are not relatives.

Chicago-Kent alumni who are newly inducted to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar are listed below.

Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school of Illinois Institute of Technology, a private, Ph.D.-granting institution with programs in engineering, psychology, architecture, business, design and law. Chicago-Kent offers full-time and part-time J.D. and LL.M. degree programs as well as joint-degree programs with other IIT units, including Stuart School of Business.