Walking Up the Marble Steps: On Joining the Supreme Court Bar

There are moments in a legal career that arrive quietly. And then there are moments you feel in your chest before your mind can catch up. I was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, and I am still trying to find the right words for it.

Working as an attorney is rarely as glamorous as it on the shows like Suits or in movies like A Few Good Men. Long hours at the office. Reading and re-reading statutes that don’t make sense. Walking down long corridors of prison facilities with flickering fluorescent lights. Okay maybe there are some movie tropes that do hold true to real life. But the ones that do often resemble the dark gloominess of Shawshank Redemption more than the bright lights of Hollywood.

So, walking up those marble steps on First Street, beneath the words “Equal Justice Under Law,” felt less like leaving that world behind and more like seeing where it all leads. The building itself is designed to make you pause. The bronze doors, the towering columns, the hush that settles over everyone five minutes before oral argument begins. Inside the courtroom, the ceiling seems impossibly high, and the bench sits exactly where you have pictured it from a hundred photographs and case citations. I was standing in a room where the rights of the accused have been defined, defended and debated for generations.

This blog post is not about agreeing or disagreeing with the Supreme Court. I often disagree with the Supreme Court. But the opportunity to debate is a privilege that is not present in every country. Thankfully, in the United States of America we do. And this privilege to debate in the highest Court of the land is only bestowed on a few. I’m extremely honored to be one of those few.

I walked back down those steps feeling humbled, grateful, and recommitted. Later this week I’ll be back at the office grinding away. The ceiling is not as high in my office as in this building. But the rights of my clients that I am fighting for are just as important. Knowing that I can take cases to this Court if needed is energizing and reinvigorating.

If you are needing help with fighting or clearing a criminal conviction, contact Peter Lindstrom of Subzero Expungements, Pardons and Appeals. (MN) 651-248-5142; (WI) 715-216-4010; peter@subzerodefense.com