California

Garland Would Make ‘Extraordinary' Justice: Former Law Clerk

Stanford law professor Nora Freeman Engstrom was a law clerk for Garland starting in 2003. She calls her experience at the DC Circuit Court a “phenomenal” one.

"Meticulous," "hardworking" and "blazingly smart" are three qualities a Stanford professor uses to describe Chief Judge Merrick Garland.

Nominated for Supreme Court Justice Wednesday morning, Garland is on top of the world.

“For me there could be no higher public service,” Garland said in an emotional speech at the White House. “I know my mother is watching this on television and crying her eyes out.”

And when you work for him, you better be on top of your game.

Stanford law professor Nora Freeman Engstrom was a law clerk for Garland starting in 2003. She calls her experience at the DC Circuit Court a “phenomenal” one.

She and Garland still keep in touch more than 10 years later, and Engstrom believes her mentor would make an “extraordinary” Supreme Court Justice.

“He has a belief that through our laws, we can actually be a better country,” Engstrom said. “For him it doesn’t matter if a case is front page news or just really affects the life of one individual. He looks at those cases in the same way and with the same great care and attention.”

However, in this political game, not everyone feels the same.

“Garland's history -- as we've looked at it over the last few hours -- includes a very anti-second amendment stance on a major case on gun rights and the governments keeping and using data. That's an absolute red meat and red flag issue for republicans around the country,” said Harmeet Dhillon, vice chair of the California Republican Party.

Dhillon says the GOP has no intention of confirming Garland because it’s an election year. She describes the moderate nominee as “liberal” compared to late Justice Antonin Scalia.

While Garland’s supporters say he has decided more than 2700 cases in the past two decades and it is difficult to please everyone.

“It would really say something about the partisanship of our time if he cannot get confirmed or at least an up and down vote in the Senate,” Engstrom said.

Contact Us