Clerkship Process for Law Students of Color and First-Generation Students 2026

Please join the American Constitution Society (ACS) and The Appellate Project (TAP) for a panel discussion designed for law students of color and first-generation law students that will demystify judicial clerkships and highlight them as an attainable pathway.

Participants will gain insight into the clerkship process, including the differences among state, federal, trial, and appellate clerkships, the qualities judges look for in judicial clerks, and what the day-to-day experience of clerking looks like. Panelists will also provide best practices for navigating the application process and discuss the critical importance of increasing diversity within judicial clerkships.

At the end of the program, ACS will release the application for our 2026 Clerkship Assistance Program and Mentor Matching Program.

The conversation will be moderated by TAP Board Member and Alumnus Justin Lam, who currently serves as counsel in the Brennan Center for Justice’s Voting Rights and Elections Program, where he conducts research, litigation, and advocacy to defend the right to vote.

Panelists:

Judge Ana de Alba, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Justice Anita Earls, North Carolina Supreme Court

Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Judge Carlton Reeves, United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

Opening Remarks:

Phil Brest, President, American Constitution Society

This conversation is open to all.

Meeting with ACS President Phil Brest

Join ACS friends for a meet and greet with ACS’s new president Phil Brest. Phil will share his vision for the organization followed by an open conversation about ACS and the role of the legal profession in promoting the rule of law.

ACS San Diego: Get Me Out of Here! Securing Release from Immigration Custody Panel

The San Diego Bar Association in partnership with San Diego American Constitution Society invites you to join us in discussing this next chapter of securing release from immigration custody for noncitizens. With limited options for traditional immigration judge bonds, noncitizens are faced with a single option: Writ of Habeas Corpus. Most immigration practitioners are not familiar with this aspect of federal court work. But the San Diego legal community is full of experienced federal litigators who have a unique skill set to help detainees get out. Join us as experts help bridge the knowledge gap for federal litigators to apply their skills to immigration detainees.

Featuring:

Joshua Altman, Principal, Altman Immigration Law, PC  

Maria Chavez, Chair, The San Diego County Bar Association's DEI Division Director, Immigration Legal PANA

Katie Hurrelbrink, Appellate Attorney, Federal Defenders of San Diego 

CLE Credit Available!

Register here!

ACS Executive Meeting

ACS Executive Board meeting for January 2026. Met to discuss the upcoming event with Professor Kroto entitled "Can He Do That? 2.0."