Even Sandy can't keep a good Court down! (At least for one day)

Last week an unwelcome visitor came to pay us a visit: Hurricane Sandy.  Luckily, she did give us a few days notice and we were able to stock up on the necessary supplies and she was little more than a nuisance to the Fellows of the program.  Our power did not go out, there was no flood damage, and we can all count our lucky stars that D.C. was not hit as hard as some had predicted.  Unfortunately other areas of the East Coast were not as lucky and we keep them in our thoughts as they work to rebuild.

Having a hurricane come to town gave us Fellows an experience I'm sure most of us thought we would not have: weekdays off work.  Instead of "snow days" as we Ohioans have become accustomed to having once or twice a winter, we all had atleast one "hurricane day" with most fellows having two.  Because of the threat of storm and subsequent storm, a large majority of the federal government shut down Monday and Tuesday. However, my internship did not close fully for both days.  On Monday, employees who could get to work did, and the court schedule proceeded normally.  All nine Justices made it to the bench, as well as the attorneys arguing the cases, so while the winds and rain continued outside, Justice continued inside the marble walls of the Supreme Court. 

Because I was one of the few employees--and only intern--able to make it into work, I was able to attend oral argument (thank you prime location!) and view the proceedings of a case I have been looking forward to all term.  The case was Clapper v. Amnesty International et al. and dealt with details of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.  I've spoken about the case to a few people and have seen the interest drain from their face seconds into my analysis, so I'll spare all of you--but trust me when I say that I was captivated.

After oral arguments on Monday, very few others activities were still scheduled and the court closed early.  On Tuesday, not even the Court could withstand the storm and closed along with the rest of the government.  It was a pretty uneventful day since the Metro was closed and the weather was poor, but it did give me a chance to study for the LSAT and work on my paper for class.  It made for a short, but productive week, and certainly a new experience for all of us. 

-Katie