Why It Matters: A Personal Testament to the NTBA SCOTUS Experience

I was incredibly honored to have been a part of the first cohort of trans lawyers to be admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court as a part of the NTBA small group admissions program back in November of 2022. To be able to proudly stand in front of the Court as a transgender lawyer and be admitted to practice before them has been one of the highlights of my almost 40-year legal career. To be able to share that experience with my family (both birth and chosen) made it very special. It was an experience unlike any other I have had in my legal career. On Tuesday December 2nd , the NTBA will be having our 4th small group admissions ceremony in front of the full United States Supreme Court in Washington D.C. (the full details are in another article).

I have also had the privilege to attend all of the subsequent ceremonies and share that experience with so many other trans lawyers. It has been incredibly inspiring to meet these lawyers and their families. These trans lawyers have come from all around the country and have varied legal practices. I have been very blessed to hear their stories and share in the excitement that surrounds this event. I am looking forward to attending this year’s ceremony as well.

Last year’s ceremony took place on December 3 rd , the day before oral arguments in the Skrmetti case. There were many trans lawyers who stayed an extra day and were able to use their USSCt bar admission to get into the courtroom to watch the arguments, I was one of those lawyers. Our ceremony was scheduled long before the announcement of the date of the Skrmetti argument, which was announced some months after we got our date. There are currently three cases pending before the court involving LGBTQ rights. There are two cases involving a trans individuals right to participate in sports (Little v. Hecox out of the 9th Circuit and West Virginia v. B.P.J. out of the 4th Circuit). There is also a case involving the Colorado ban on conversion therapy (Chiles v. Salazar out of the 10th Circuit). There is a possibility that one these cases could be scheduled for argument around the same time as our admissions ceremony.

Time is running out for you to be considered for this year’s NTBA small group admissions ceremony. If you want to be a part of history and stand in front of the Supreme Court while your name is called, if you want to remind the court that trans individuals can and do practice law or if you just want to impress your friends and family this is a very powerful way to do so.

I hope to see you on December 2nd in Washington D.C. at the Supreme Court for this year’s ceremony, it is truly a special event that you will never forget.

–Jessie McGrath