Original Jurisdiction

Original Jurisdiction

Legal Industry News

Congratulations To The 2026 Bristow Fellows

Harvard and Stanford Law continue to excel at sending their graduates into these prestigious fellowships at the Office of the Solicitor General.

David Lat's avatar
David Lat
Nov 20, 2025
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The Office of the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice (photo by David Lat).

Welcome to Original Jurisdiction, the latest legal publication by me, David Lat. You can learn more about Original Jurisdiction by reading its About page, and you can email me at davidlat@substack.com. This is a reader-supported publication; you can subscribe by clicking here.


Thanks to the high level of activity on the interim docket, summers are no longer sleepy at the U.S. Supreme Court. This shift has definitely affected the work-life balance of the high-powered lawyers who work in the Office of the Solicitor General (“OSG”), which represents the federal government before the high court.

And it has surely created a lot more work for the holders of Bristow Fellowships—prestigious one-year fellowships that allow lawyers to work on Supreme Court cases just a few years out of law school. Serving as a Bristow Fellow is probably more interesting than it has been in recent years, but also more stressful.

But even with more stress and longer hours, a Bristow Fellowship is still a coveted opportunity for ambitious young lawyers—and one can understand why. Working on SCOTUS litigation at such an early point in one’s career is an incredible opportunity. And a Bristow Fellowship holds great value as a credential, with Fellows going on to other high-powered positions within the legal profession, including but not limited to Supreme Court clerkships.

(Speaking of SCOTUS clerkships, I have a surprising number of new hires—surprising because this isn’t usually a busy time of year for clerk hiring. If I get a few more, I’ll publish a Supreme Court clerk hiring roundup. So help me help you: if you know of any new hires since my last roundup, please email me (davidlat@substack.com) or text me (917-397-2751), including the words “SCOTUS clerk hiring” as the subject line of your email or somewhere in your text. Thanks in advance for your tips!)

OSG recently finished hiring the class of Bristow Fellows for October Term 2026 (2026-2027). Here they are:

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