Another Dispatch from DFOpalooza

Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain, Mrs. Maura O’Scannlain, and two decades’ worth of law clerks and judicial assistants. (We apologize for the less-than-stellar quality of this pic. If you live in the D.C. area and would like to give us a tutorial in digital photography, email us.)
Our photo essay about the historic Pioneer Courthouse, in Portland, Oregon, is complete . But our coverage of “DFOpalooza” — the delightful weekend of events celebrating Ninth Circuit Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain’s 20th judicial anniversary — isn’t quite done.
After the jump, more fun photographs. We traveled across the country to be there, so we intend to milk it for all it’s worth. And, of course, it’s good publicity for our awesome former boss.
If you’re a federal judge who’s wondering, “Why isn’t my law clerk reunion being covered this lavishly?”, there’s a solution: Invite us to your next one! (Hey Frank — we hear your house in Alaska is pretty sweet.)


On the evening of Saturday, September 30, the O’Scannlain judicial anniversary dinner was held at Portland’s elegant Town Club, a mansion high in the hills overlooking the city. We served as master of ceremonies for the evening. Former law clerks and judicial assistants reminisced about their glory days and offered toasts to the judge. The food, drink, and company were delightful, and the party continued into the wee hours.
For those of you who keep track of these things, yes, the Town Club discriminates on the basis of gender: No men allowed! It’s a club devoted to the fairer sex. Judge O’Scannlain is not a member. Fortunately, Mrs. O’Scannlain — a longstanding member, and former board member — arranged for use of the Club’s main dining room. Men are allowed on the premises when Town Club members reserve rooms for private functions.

Brian Fitzpatrick (OT 2001/Scalia) and the dazzling Heather Childs. Hey guys: If you score a SCOTUS clerkship, maybe you too can find a woman as wonderful as Heather!
Heather Childs’s beauty is matched only by her brains — NYU Law, currently clerking for Judge Emilio Garza (5th Cir.) — and her beneficence. This profile of her (PDF), in the NYU Law School Bulletin, describes her work for the House of the Roses, a nonprofit organization that teaches dance to homeless New York City children.

Enjoying post-dinner coffee and cordials: Professor William Birdthistle, of Chicago-Kent; Brian Fitzpatrick; Heather Childs; Rachel Brand (OT 2002/Kennedy), Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy, and reigning UTR Prom Queen; and Cindy Zmijewski Demers. Brand attended the reunion because her similarly high-powered husband, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Cohn (OT 2000/Thomas), is a former O’Scannlain clerk.

Clockwise from lower left: Cindy Demers; John Demers; Ryan Bounds, chief of the staff of the Office of Legal Policy; Rod Forter, a current O’Scannlain clerk; Heather Childs; Brian Fitzpatrick; Professor Birdthistle; and Professor Christopher Leslie, also a former O’Scannlain clerk on the Chicago-Kent faculty.

Judge O’Scannlain with his 1991-1992 law clerks: Professor Bob Miller (at left, purple tie), of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland; Paul Smith (at right, red tie), a partner at Perkins Coie; and Professor Holly Doremus (at far right, tan suit), of UC Davis School of Law.

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John Demers (OT 2005/Scalia), of the DOJ’s National Security Division, and the fabulously fun Cindy Zmijewski Demers, a math teacher.

They Might Be Giants: Adam Greenwood, of Modrall Sperling, and his wife, Sara.

One of Judge O’Scannlain’s first law clerks, Marianne King, Senior Counsel to the Interior Department. She organized the reunion weekend; it wouldn’t have happened wiithout her tremendous efforts. Thanks, Marianne!

Here we are, flanked by Judge and Mrs. O’Scannlain.

This sign was posted on a lamppost down the street from the Town Club. If you come across an African desert tortoise wandering the streets of Portland, now you know whom to call.
Earlier: Prior coverage of DFOpalooza (scroll down)

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