Diarmuid O’Scannlain

ATL Caption Contest

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little girls pioneer courthouse.JPG

“We’ve voted to deny the petition for a writ of mandamus. NOW can we have our milk and cookies?”
We had a delightful time this past weekend in Portland, Oregon, where we attended Ninth Circuit Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain’s law clerk reunion, in celebration of his 20th anniversary on the bench. We’ll be blogging about the festivities — and posting photographs from them — over the next few days.
We’ll kick things off with this photo of us (see below), which taken in the library of Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse. As you might have guessed, our provocative pose is an homage to America’s hottest ERISA lawyer, Professor Bruce Wolk.
Please enter suggested captions in the comments. We’ll declare a “winner” of the contest, and highlight other personal favorites, later today (or tomorrow, or whenever we get around to it).
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Congratulations, Judge O’Scannlain!

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diarmuid o'scannlain diarmuid f o'scannlain.jpgATL sends its warmest congratulations to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain,* of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit! This month, Judge O’Scannlain celebrates twenty years on the federal bench. During two decades of distiinguished service, Judge O’Scannlain has established himself as a shining star in the federal judicial firmament.**
We had the honor and pleasure of clerking for Judge O’Scannlain during the 1999-2000 judicial year. He was a wonderful boss to us and our co-clerks, and he continues to be a great mentor and friend to this day. (He’s also quite handsome, in a Paul Newman sort of way; see photo at right.)
This weekend, Judge O’Scannlain is celebrating his federal judicial “anniversary” with a reunion of his law clerks. In a few hours, we’ll be leaving for the airport to catch a flight to Portland, Oregon.
We’ll be spending much of today in an airplane. But fear not, ATL readers: we have arranged for a brilliant and hilarious guest blogger to entertain you in our absence. We’ll be back over the weekend or on Monday.
Happy Friday!
* Not that you’d be calling him by his first name (unless you’re a fellow Article III judge), but in case you’re curious, “Diarmuid” is pronounced DEER-mid. See here. “O’Scannlain” is pronounced o-SCAN-lin.
** Also celebrating his 20th judicial anniversary this month: Justice Antonin Scalia, a good friend of Judge O’Scannlain (and regular recipient of O’Scannlain clerks in his chambers). Justice Scalia received his commission as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on September 25, 1986; Judge O’Scannlain received his Ninth Circuit commission the following day.

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David Lat Biography

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David Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law. He also founded Underneath Their Robes, a blog about federal judges, and served as editor of the politics blog Wonkette. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New York Observer, Washingtonian magazine, and New York magazine, among other publications. David has received several awards for his work on Above the Law, including recognition as an ABA Journal Legal Rebel, a group of innovators within the legal profession, and inclusion as a member of the Fastcase 50, “the fifty most interesting, provocative, and courageous leaders in the world of law, scholarship, and legal technology.”

Prior to his entry into the media world, David worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey; a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, in New York; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

David graduated from Regis High School, Harvard College, and Yale Law School, where he served as book reviews editor of the Yale Law Journal. You can find David on Facebook and on Twitter, and you can reach him by email at dlat@abovethelaw.com.

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David Lat Takes on the Legal World One Post at a Time [Legal Times (sub. req.)]

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