Press Release

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

Melissa Aubin, the 2008-2009 Supreme Court Fellow assigned to the Supreme Court of the United States, formerly a staff attorney for Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Coffin on the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, has been selected to continue her fellowship at the Supreme Court for 2009-2010.

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 Supreme Court, Aubin’s duties include researching and providing background information for speeches and reports, briefing visiting dignitaries, preparing analytical reports, and overseeing the Judicial Internship Program. 

Before starting her legal career, Aubin was an assistant professor at Florida State University in the Department of Religion from 1998 until 2001.  After law school, Aubin was a law clerk to Judge David Schuman on the Oregon Court of Appeals.  In addition to working for Judge Schuman and Judge Coffin, she has been a legal researcher for Professor Laird Kilpatrick of the University of Oregon School of Law.  Aubin was also a part of a team that evaluated the District of Oregon Drug Court, a reentry program for drug offenders.  In addition, she serves on the Boards of Directors for the Relief Nursery and Oregon’s Federal Bar Association.

Aubin earned a B.A. in classics and religion from the University of Florida in 1992, an M.A. and Ph.D. in religion from Duke University in 1998, and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2004.   

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

 

"As a result of the fellowship, I learned to think about the craft of judging in more nuanced and complex ways and to reflect critically on the role of judges in civil law versus common law systems."

Carmen Gonzalez
Associate professor of law, Seattle University School of Law