Judges on Campus
For a decade, students have gained helpful insights and strategic tips from the Judges-in-Residence program
The judges met with Berkeley Law’s Clerkship Committee, visited upper-level and 1L classes, held open office hours, talked with Berkeley Law Opportunity Scholars, and took part in lunchtime panels moderated by Director of Judicial Clerkships Anna Han. They also met individually with some affinity groups and attended dinners with students, alumni, and faculty.
3L Alex MacLennan, who will clerk for Delaware Supreme Court Justice Karen L. Valihura after graduating, says the judges “provided unparalleled insights into both the operations of their courts and the clerkship experience” and that “their advice will prove invaluable in maximizing my potential as a judicial law clerk.”
Christen, a judge on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Anchorage, spent 14 years as a civil litigator before becoming an Alaska Superior Court judge in 2002. She moved to the Alaska Supreme Court seven years later, and was then appointed to the federal bench in 2011.
Kelley, a U.S. District Court of Massachusetts judge, began her bench career in 2009 at a state district court level. She joined the superior court in 2013 and was installed as a federal judge in 2021, just the second Black female judge and second Asian American judge to serve in a Massachusetts federal district court.
Amid the country’s growing polarization, both judges emphasized the value of ensuring unbiased legal analysis — and hiring clerks who leave their ideology outside chambers.
“The mission for courts is to get the law right,” Christen says. “Politics need to stay out of our decisions, which is even more important now during these politically charged times. I sign off on decisions every week that I don’t necessarily like, but that’s the law and I have to enforce it.”
Echoing the importance of independent thinking, Kelley notes that when it comes to her clerks, “I don’t want a mini-me and I don’t want an echo chamber. I want people who bring different life experiences and diversity can mean any number of things — race, gender, geography, socioeconomic, work experience, all of it.”
The judges told students to seek out mentors, take advantage of their school’s internal resources, and network strategically. They also advised prospective clerks to fully understand the clerkships they plan to pursue, noting how the work of appellate courts contrasts sharply from that of trial courts.
As for the qualities they look for in clerkship applicants, Kelley and Christen emphasized work ethic, an open mind, efficiency, and writing skills.
“I want people who are willing to put in the work to help me get it right,” Kelley said. “I’m looking for someone who can rise to the challenge.”
For students aspiring to become a judge one day, Christen urged kindness in the courtroom, noting that “people don’t go to courthouses because they’re having a good day.”
Kelley echoed that sentiment, recalling how she once went to the wrong courthouse as a litigant and had to race to the right venue. “That showed me how litigants and lawyers are people, that we all make honest mistakes,” she said. “I have a deputy who thinks I should come down hard on people who are late or miss a court date, but when that happens I say no, I’ve been there.” — Andrew Cohen