LLA Members Join the Bar of the United States Supreme Court

On Monday, November 18, 2013, ten local attorneys joined an elite group of lawyers.  In an impressive ceremony, LLA members Christian Frey, J. David Smith, J. Michael Wiley, Brian Bluth, Tammy Weber, Rita Alexyn, William Carlucci, Julie Steinbacher, Samantha Wolfe, Gregory Moro and his wife Hope Moro, were admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court.

Each of the attorneys passed the strict application process required for admission.  The applicants were sponsored by LLA members Gary Weber and Charles Greevy, III and moved for admission by LLA member and former PBA President William Carlucci.

Early Monday morning, the attorneys gathered in the East Conference Room to eat breakfast and receive a briefing on the upcoming ceremony.  Under the watchful eyes of first Chief Justice John Jay, the attendees and their guests ate and awaited admission to the courtroom.

The group was then ushered into the courtroom, along with several other groups which were seeking group admission.  Guests had previously been seated in the room.  Chief Justice John Roberts convened the session, that was attended by Justices Thomas, Scalia, Kennedy and Kagan. When called upon, Bill Carlucci introduced the proposed admittees using the limited language allowed under Court protocol.

Unfortunately, no oral arguments were scheduled for the day, which reduced the number of Justices in attendance for the session.  Nonetheless, the ceremony was an impressively staged ritual, filled with pomp that can be found only in Washington, D.C.

Most of the attorneys spent the evening prior to the ceremony in Washington, and a reception for the group was held in the Hyatt Hotel.  Some members brought family and spent the day as tourists in the city.

The LLA has previously sponsored group admissions to the Supreme Court Bar.  An appearance by a Lycoming County attorney in the opulently appointed Court facilities is often a once-in-a-lifetime experience, since the Court hears so few cases.

It was surely an experience for the newly admitted attorneys to long remember.