The U.S. Supreme Court’s most recent Term ended last month. But we still have a few SCOTUS-related items to send your way (plus a clerk hiring update at some point in the near future; if you’re aware of hires not on this list, please email us).

First, there are a pair of panel discussions reviewing October Term 2007 that are now available online. Both were held, coincidentally enough, on July 1 at the National Press Club here in Washington. Click here for the Federalist Society’s, and click here for the American Constitution Society’s.

Second, in case you missed it, footnote 17 in Justice David Souter’s opinion in Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker, the punitive damages case, caused a stir in legal academia. In it, DHS dissed some research into the unpredictability of punitive damages performed by (recently married) law professor Cass Sunstein. Justice Souter wrote: “Because this research was funded in part by Exxon, we decline to rely on it.” To read more about the footnote, check out Tony Mauro’s item in the Legal Times (via the WSJ Law Blog).

Third, as promised, we have a more detailed write-up of the star-studded clerk reunion for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, courtesy of an AMK clerk in attendance. You can read about it after the jump.

Courtside: With Footnote, Souter Causes Stir [Legal Times via WSJ Law Blog]
A Look Back at the October Supreme Court 2007 Term [Federalist Society]
ACS Supreme Court Review Live on C-Span 2 [American Constitution Society]

JUSTICE KENNEDY’S CLERK REUNION — JUNE 28-29, 2008

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy has his clerk reunion every five years.There was a black-tie dinner at the Court on Saturday night, followed by a kid- and family-friendly lunch on Sunday.Turnout was strong, and the attendees included several former AMK clerks who are now judges: Chief Judge Alex Kozinski (9th Cir.), Judge Brett Kavanaugh (D.C. Cir.), Judge Neil Gorsuch (10th Cir.), and the just-confirmed Raymond Kethledge (6th Cir.).

Neal Gorsuch and Peter Keisler each gave beautiful toasts. The reunion committee (or maybe the current clerks, or both) put together two video montages. One was just lots of pictures from the Justice’s life and career set to music — very nostalgic. This marks his 20th year on the bench, by the way. The other video was pretty funny — it was short remarks by several of the other justices congratulating him on his 20 years on the bench. Roberts’s in particular got a lot of laughs — it made a little bit of good-natured fun at AMK.

Every time there’s a reunion, the clerks get the Justice a reunion gift. Last time it was a gorgeous standing globe. This time it was an original edition (3 volumes) of the complete papers of James Madison, plus some bottle of wine (I didn’t catch the details) from 1988.

On Sunday there was a reunion lunch, with kids, at Richard Willard’s house in McLean. The Justice took pictures with a series of former clerks holding their small children. One sort of odd tidbit: AMK’s rule about bringing guests is that clerks can bring spouses or “announced fiances.” A bit antiquated, but I gather it’s been his policy for all his reunions and that he’s somewhat adamant about it.

Earlier: Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: Justices Stevens, Scalia, and Ginsburg Are Done (for OT 2009)