Washington, D.C. Photo: Fotolia

In 2019, The National Law Journal opinion columns that resonated most with our readers dealt with the scope of presidential power, a key Title VII case before the U.S. Supreme Court, what the National Football League might teach federal judges about clerk diversity and more. Take a look back at the pieces that were your favorites.  

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Feb. 13.

Sen. Whitehouse: There's a Crisis of Credibility at the US Supreme Court

In our most-read column of the year, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, argued that the five sitting U.S. Supreme Court justices appointed by Republican presidents have "delivered rulings that advantage big corporate and special interests … causing a crisis of credibility that is rippling through the entire judiciary." 

Draining the Reservoir: The Steady Erosion of Credibility at the DOJ

"Working at the U.S. Department of Justice is like joining a storied sports franchise with a long history of excellence," wrote Matthew Collette, a DOJ alum and Massey & Gail appellate partner. But now, he argued, "Norms are being smashed as the department sends career attorneys for cringe-worthy appearances to defend administration positions."

President Donald Trump on Nov. 6.

The Troubling Premise of Quid Pro Quo

"Quid pro quo defenses suggest that 'wink and nod understandings' are fair game in the rough and tumble of politics so long as no one crosses the thin red line. And political parties on both sides of the aisle seem to accede to this premise," wrote Pepperdine Law professor Barry McDonald following President Donald Trump's release of call summaries with the Ukrainian president. 

Why We Should Adopt a Rooney Rule for Law Clerks

The National Football League's coach search process is "fairer and more methodical than the judicial competition for clerks" due to the NFL's Rooney Rule, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California wrote in January. The judge shares why he applies his own version of the rule to clerk hiring and why he believes other jurists should too. 

The U.S. Supreme Court building.

The Best and the Brightest Clerks: Why the Justices Should Look Beyond Harvard and Yale

In another popular piece on clerk hiring, Todd Peppers, a visiting professor of law at Washington and Lee University, argued for more academic diversity at the U.S. Supreme Court. Peppers "propose[d] that each term the individual justices each select one law clerk from a different second- or third-tier law school," adding that these schools produce "bright, well-educated and able" graduates that would bring both academic and socioeconomic "diversity to the justices' chambers." 

Playing the Long Game: Client Development Strategies for Young Lawyers

In September, MoloLamken's Eric Nitz kicked off our National Law Journal series, "On the Rise: Voices from Young Lawyers," in which leading, young attorneys tackle key practice topics. Nitz wrote about how young lawyers can build successful strategies for client development, as he called it, "one of the most mystifying aspects of legal practice."     

Naomi Osaka, professional tennis player from Japan. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

Will It Be Game-Set-Match for Women's Sports?

One of the U.S. Supreme Court's Title VII cases this term proved rich fodder for several contributors. Jennifer Braceras and Anita Milanovich, respectively, the director of the Independent Women's Forum's Center for Law & Liberty and counsel of record for IWF's brief in R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC, argued that the case could have broad implications for women who participate in competitive sports.

Race and Sex are Fundamentally Different. That Should Matter to SCOTUS

John Bursch, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, represented Harris Funeral Homes in R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC. Bursch wrote that "while many things have changed in the last half a century, the meaning of sex discrimination in Title VII hasn't expanded to include sexual orientation or transgender status." He wrote that the "Supreme Court should leave whether and how to change our nondiscrimination laws to Congress."

Congressional Subpoenas: If the President Can't Resist Them, Who Can?

Ahead of oral arguments on President Donald Trump's challenge to a congressional subpoena before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Justin Shur, Caleb Hayes-Deats and Allison Gorsuch of MoloLamken wrote that "the difficulty of [the president's] position arises from the breadth of congressional power." 

Former Obama White House Counsel Gregory Craig leaves federal court in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 22.

Why Greg Craig's Trial Was a Misguided and Unnecessary Prosecution

William Taylor III, a founding partner of Zuckerman Spaeder, represented former White House Counsel and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom partner Gregory Craig at his trial, in which he was acquitted by a federal jury on a charge that he deliberately misled the Justice Department about his past work for Ukraine. "In most cases, lawyers in my position would thank the jury for doing the right thing and move on. But this misguided and unnecessary prosecution deserves more scrutiny than it has received." Taylor wrote. 

Make That Move: Evolving From Junior Partner to Rainmaker

You've billed your way up the ladder to make it to the partnership. Now how do you build a top practice? Lillian Hardy, practice group head of Hogan Lovells' crisis leadership team, tackled that topic in the fourth column of our "On the Rise" series. 

Lisa Helem, a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, has served as editor-in-chief of The National Law Journal since September 2017. In that role, she also serves as lead editor for contributed content. In September 2019, she launched the NLJ's series, "On the Rise: Voices from Young Lawyers," a platform for leading, young attorneys to share key practice insights.

Read More:

On the Rise: Voices from Young Lawyers

Where Gorsuch Sees Ambiguity, Kagan Sees Clarity in LGBT Rights Case

Greg Craig Found Not Guilty of Deceiving DOJ About Ukraine Work

Law Clerk Diversity: 'It's Complicated'

Bad Play: Let's Not Cast Transgender People as a Threat to Sports