James Wilson Fellowship
Washington, DC, August 3-7, 2015
Professor Hadley Arkes, joined by joined by Professors Daniel Robinson, David Forte, and Michael Uhlmann, offered a seminar over five days in Washington, D.C, August 3-7.
Introducing Our 2015 James Wilson Fellows
Ifeoma Anunkor—Originally from Harlem, New York, Ifeoma received a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2014. She received her bachelor's degree from Amherst College. After some time in public interest law firms, she is embarking on a career in pro-life advocacy. She is especially interested in addressing the abortion industry's aggressive targeting of black women in the U.S., and increasingly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where her family is from.
Evan Bernick—Evan is the Assistant Director of the Institute for Justice’s Center for Judicial Engagement. He joined the IJ in July 2014, and he works to educate the public and persuade judges about the need for a properly engaged judiciary that enforces all of the Constitution’s limits on government in every case. Before joining IJ, Evan was a Koch Associate and Visiting Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, where he focused on the problem of overcriminalization. Prior to Heritage, he worked at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty as a legal intern and at the Cato Institute as a legal associate. Evan received his J.D. from the University Chicago Law School in 2011. He graduated with honors from the University of Chicago in 2008.
Benjamin (Ben) Brady—Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Benjamin is completing a Ph.D. in legal history at the University of Virginia. He received a J.D. from Stanford Law School and an A.B. from Princeton University. His research focuses on the international political economy.
Rachel Busick—Rachel received her J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law, magna cum laude, and her B.A. from Whitworth University, summa cum laude. Originally from Renton, WA, she is headed to "the other Washington" (D.C.) to clerk for Judge Victor J. Wolski on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. She is especially interested in issues relating to the freedom of speech and religious liberty.
Benjamin (Ben) Cassady—Originally from Marysville, California, Ben is currently a law clerk for Judge Thomas Griffith of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Afterward, he will be joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington, D.C. He received a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. from California State University, Chico.
Jeffrey Dunn—A native hoosier, Jeffrey is returning home to Indiana to clerk for Justice Brent E. Dickson of the Indiana Supreme Court. He received his J.D. magna cum laude from Washington University School of Law, and his B.S. summa cum laude from the John Wesley Honors College at Indiana Wesleyan University. After clerking, he plans to stay in Indiana and practice as a criminal prosecutor or appellate advocate.
Alan Hurst—Alan is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Yale Law School, currently clerking for the Utah Supreme Court and clerking next year for the Tenth Circuit. His past positions include fellowships with BYU Law School, the Becket Fund, and Yale Divinity School. His primary interest is religious freedom.
Mark Kubisch—Originally from Midland, Michigan, Mark will clerk for Judge Steven Colloton on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals for the 2015-2016 term. After clerking, he will return to Jones Day's D.C. office, where he previously worked as a summer associate. He received his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School, summa cum laude, and his B.A. from the University of Dallas, summa cum laude. He is interested in religious liberty questions as well as broader First Amendment issues
Brittney Lane—Brittney was born and raised in Fresno, California and is now a 3rd year associate at O'Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles. After law school, she clerked for Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. She received her J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law, summa cum laude, and a B.A. from Harvard University, cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She is especially interested in religious freedom and structural protections of liberty.
Shae McPhee—Originally from Arlington, Texas, Shae will clerk for three judges in three cities over the next three years: 1) Judge David Godbey on the U.S. Northern District of Texas (Dallas, 15-16); 2) Justice Eva Guzman on the Supreme Court of Texas (Austin, 16-17); and 3) Judge Edith Clement on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (New Orleans, 17-18). He recently received his J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he was an advanced clinical worker in Stanford's Religious Liberty Clinic. He received his B.A. cum laude from Brigham Young University. He is interested in religious liberty and international law.
Paul Quast—Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Paul will begin a clerkship with Chief Judge William C. Griesbach of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin after taking the Colorado Bar in the fall of 2015. He received a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School, magna cum laude, and a B.A from Colorado College. He is particularly interested in trial advocacy, religious liberty issues, and furthering the pro-life cause.
Nicholas (Nick) Reaves—Nick is a recent graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law where he served on the Virginia Law Review and was part of the school’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. He will be clerking for Judge D. Brooks Smith on the Third Circuit this fall before heading to Jones Day in Washington, D.C.
Catherine Maggio Schmucker—Catherine is a recent graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law, where she graduated summa cum laude and served as an Articles Editor for the Texas Tech Law Review, Symposium Editor for the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, and Secretary for the Federalist Society. Originally from Dallas, she received her B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Texas A&M University, summa cum laude. She is the author of the note, "Everything is Bigger in Texas—Especially the Abortion Debate: Why Texas House Bill 2 Can Survive a Constitutional Challenge and How it Should Change the Abortion Analysis" 19 TEX. REV. L. & POL. 101 (Fall 2014). This September she will begin a clerkship with Judge Paul Kelly, Jr. of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and has accepted a position with Jones Day for after her clerkship. A Blackstone Fellow, she is particularly interested in pro-life law, religious liberty law, and the impact of religion and morality on the American Public Square.
Mahesha Subbaraman—Born and raised in Minnesota, Mahesha is currently a solo appellate litigator with his own law firm, Subbaraman PLLC, after having served as a constitutional litigator at the pro bono Institute for Justice and a business litigation associate at the Minneapolis, MN law firm of Robins Kaplan. Mahesha received a J.D. from University of Minnesota Law School, magna cum laude, and a B.A. from Amherst College, summa cum laude. Mahesha is especially interested in how legal process and the structural provisions of the Constitution serve to guarantee individual liberty.
Joshua (Josh) Turner—A true Midwesterner, Josh was raised in a small town in Wisconsin and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Feeling adventurous, Josh decided to attend Liberty University School of Law in Virginia, where he graduated summa cum laude and served as President of the school's Federalist Society chapter. Beginning in August 2015, Josh is excited to start clerking for Judge Lavenski R. Smith of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Following his clerkship with Judge Smith, he will clerk for Judge J. Leon Holmes of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
