A Lesson in Law from Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan

In early April, a group of NCS students had the rare opportunity to meet a Supreme Court justice during a behind-the-scenes look at the highest court in the land.

Justice Elena Kagan met with students in a Politics in America class and answered their questions in an awe-inspiring setting: a room that held portraits of justices from centuries past and looked out over a courtyard where the justices often lunch with their law clerks.

She answered students’ questions about the balance of law and justice, her experience with gender discrimination, the nomination process, what made her want to pursue law, the changing political climate, and more.

But when one student inquired about her most memorable cases, Kagan turned the tables and instead provided 13 NCS seniors and four St. Albans students with the ultimate learning experience: the chance to defend their arguments in front of a Supreme Court justice. She asked each student how they would have deliberated on a case she identified as one of her hardest: Brown vs. Entertainment Merchants Association.

Kagan provided background and context for the 2011 case, which examined whether a California ban on the sale to minors of violent video games violated free speech, and then quizzed students on how they would rule and why. Each student was challenged to defend her reasoning with evidence-based conclusions, an interactive lesson that left the class feeling invigorated.

After their meeting with Kagan, the group went on a tour of the building and courthouse, led by two Supreme Court interns.

The class then spent the afternoon at the U.S. Capitol visiting with two congressional staffers: Cietta Kiandoli ’96, policy adviser to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Mike Harney, chief of staff to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.).

Kiandoli began her career as a community organizer and ran her own political fund prior to joining Schumer’s office. She shared how she got to Capitol Hill, what it was like to work through a government shutdown, and how she learned to develop confidence in her new role. When a student asked about advice she had for young women who want to go into politics, she immediately responded, “Do it.”

Harney provided an overview of his position in Warner’s office, sharing what it’s like to work on political campaigns, the inside workings of congressional offices, and advice for getting a job on Capitol Hill.

Many thanks to Mark Perry, father of Susannah Perry ’19, for arranging the visit with Justice Kagan and to Social Sciences teacher David Sahr for organizing the Capitol trip!