BYU Law Professor Stephanie Barclay will clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch in the Fall 2021 term.
“I am excited and humbled that Justice Gorsuch would give me this opportunity, and I am indebted to many mentors and colleagues who helped me along this path,” Barclay said.
Professor Barclay joined the BYU Law faculty in 2018 and teaches First Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, Family Law, and Constitutional Law.
Before joining BYU Law, she litigated First Amendment cases at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, representing organizations and individuals at both the trial and appellate level. Prior to the Becket Fund, she worked at Covington in Washington, D.C., where she drafted multiple Supreme Court briefs, including defending the rights of a Muslim prison inmate seeking to wear a religious beard. She also clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for the Honorable N. Randy Smith.
“With an incisive and original mind, a deep commitment to the rule of law, and an unsurpassed work ethic, Professor Barclay exemplifies the best attributes of a BYU Law graduate,” said Dean Smith. “In her first year of teaching at the Law School, she has displayed genuine concern and understanding for each student while demanding excellence from all students. She will do great service to the country by working in the chambers of Justice Gorsuch.”
Professor Barclay is not only respected by her colleagues, but also her students. She was voted the 2L/3L Professor of the Year.
“I have had Professor Barclay for both family law and First Amendment. I was immediately impressed with her – she is articulate, very well versed in the law, and incredibly analytical,” said BYU Law’s Malea Moody. “She is always focused on helping us analyze and digest the law of the cases. She worked hard to engage all of us.”
Not only is this clerkship a well-deserved and tremendous personal accomplishment, but BYU Law students will benefit greatly from Professor Barclay’s time with Justice Gorsuch.
“I will be exposed to a whole range of legal issues and new ideas at the Supreme Court, and I really look forward to sharing what I learn with my BYU law students when I return,” she said.
Professor Barclay graduated from BYU Law in 2011 and will be the 14th graduate of this law school to clerk on the Supreme Court. She will be on leave from the Law School while serving her clerkship.
“From the first graduating class in 1976 to the present, BYU Law has been successful in training law students to work at the highest level of the legal profession, including as clerks at the United States Supreme Court,” Dean Smith said. “Professor Barclay is the latest in a long line of BYU Law graduates to gain this position, and we expect her to continue the tradition of her predecessors, who have served with distinction.”
Writer: John Ternieden (3L)
Comments (0)