Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    For Further Information
Contact: Kathleen L. Arberg
202-479-3211

Karyn Kenny, an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office in Nevada and adjunct law professor at William S. Boyd Law School, University of Nevada Las Vegas, has been selected as the 2007-2008 Supreme Court Fellow assigned to the United States Sentencing Commission. 

The Supreme Court Fellows Program was created in 1973 by the late Chief Justice Warren E. Burger to provide promising individuals with a first-hand understanding of the federal government, in particular, the judicial branch.  In the words of Chief Justice Roberts, the program offers “a unique opportunity for exceptional individuals to contribute to the administration of justice at the national level.”

Each year fellows work with top officials in the judicial branch of government. With assignments at the Supreme Court, the Federal Judicial Center, the Administrative Office of the U. S. Courts, and the U. S. Sentencing Commission, fellows have been involved in various projects examining the federal judicial process and seeking, proposing, and implementing solutions to problems in the administration of justice.

As the fellow at the U. S. Sentencing Commission, Kenny will conduct legal research concerning sentencing guideline issues and legislative directives pending before the commission.  Her fellowship begins in the fall.

Kenny worked in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office from 1995 to 2000 as an Assistant District Attorney.  In 2000, she joined the United States Attorney’s Office in Nevada.  She currently works in the White Collar/Economic Crime Section, specializing in human trafficking and cyber crime cases.  In 2006, Kenny spent a sabbatical as a Fulbright Scholar in Lithuania, where she taught a course on the American criminal justice system and a comparative study course on the American and Irish Constitutions, emphasizing human rights protections in democratic societies.  

Kenny earned a B.A. in classical English literature and a B.S in telecommunications management from Syracuse University in 1988, an M.A. in English literature from New York University in 1993, and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1995.

The Supreme Court Fellows are selected by a commission comprised of 9 members selected by the Chief Justice of the United States.

"One of the major attractions of the fellowship is the Fellows themselves; I regard my co-Fellows and many program alumni as lifelong friends and unequalled professional contacts."

Ira P. Robbins
Barnard T. Welsh Scholar and Professor of Law and Justice, Washington College of Law, American University