By David Bender and Zachary Prince

The presence of GW Law in the heart of our nation’s capital is one of the primary reasons that prospective students are attracted to the school.  Upon arrival at 20^th and H, this becomes a familiar refrain: one of the great things about attending law school in Washington, D.C. is the everyday proximity to where laws are made.  Nothing typifies this concept better than the fact that GW law students have the luxury of walking (or taking a cab if you aren’t a fan of long early-morning walks through the National Mall) to the U.S. Supreme Court to hear oral arguments.  Having taken this journey before, braving an early morning hail storm with fellow classmates while standing in line on the steps of the Court, I can personally attest that it is well worth the effort.

There is nothing quite like seeing the Justices engage in a colloquy with some of the most renowned oral advocates in the world.  Beyond the fascinating substantive legal issues, hearing the Justices dissect the merits of the hardest cases, aided by the most refined oral arguments you will ever hear, is invaluable to a well-rounded legal education.  The atmosphere is tense but electric, particularly for the really controversial cases.  And because there are no video recordings at the Court, being there in person is the only way to really experience it.  Unfortunately that means you either need to get to the Court and wait in line at an unreasonably early hour, or be well-connected.

That’s where the Nota Bene comes in: we’re going to make you well-connected, if only for the morning.  We are going to allow the entire student body to benefit from these experiences.  Our plan is to send student writers to several of the most interesting cases heard by the Supreme Court each term, press-pass in hand.  We only ask that you write an article about the oral arguments for the Nota Bene, which will appear in a new section of the newspaper dedicated to the Supreme Court.  So join us, contribute to creating an informed student body, and become a Nota Bene Supreme Court correspondent.

In order to become a Nota Bene SCOTUS correspondent, contact David Bender at djbender@law.gwu.edu.