Let’s do a survey of the 25 TROLP jurists of the year who came before me. There were two Supreme Court Justices: Scalia and Thomas. There were ten lower-court federal judges: Jones, Starr, Smith, Owen, Garwood, Pryor, Willett, O’Connor, Elrod, and Ho. There were four Senators: Cornyn, Lee, Cruz, and Cotton. There were three Solicitors General: Olson, Coleman, Clement. There were two Attorneys General: Meese and Abbott. There was only one law professor who was jurist of the year: Lino Graglia, a giant in the law, who received the award when he was eighty years old.<\/p>\n

Then there’s me. I’m not a judge, and I don’t consider myself a jurist. I’ve never held any appointed or elected governmental position. I am not, nor have I ever been, an “officer of the United States.” I’ve never argued a case before the Supreme Court, or any appellate court for that matter. I did not attend and do not teach at an elite law school. To quote another classic piece of American pop culture, Sesame Street, “One of these things is not like the other.” Relatedly, I think my TROLP bobblehead is the first one with curly hair.<\/p>\n

So, why am I up here? I’m still not entirely sure. But I’d like to use my brief time at this podium to convey a message: this can be you. If I can be up here, so can you. To state the issue more bluntly, I don’t want to be the only one up here. I want each and every one of you to find your path to this stage. As I’ll explain, it will not be easy. There will be many forces pushing back against you. There is no glidepath to getting your very own bobblehead. But I am ready to help. Indeed, I try by word and deed to model the behavior it takes to get up here. If you’ll indulge me, let me offer five tips.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I hope these remarks are helpful to future jurists of the year.<\/p>\n