Football players have the Super Bowl. Baseball players have the World Series. Lawyers have the United States Supreme Court. HCJFS Child Support Legal Section Chief Patrick Southern reached the top of his game earlier this month when he was inducted into the United States Supreme Court Bar. He is now licensed to argue cases there. “Less than one percent of all attorneys licensed at the Supreme Court ever argue a case,” Southern said. “But it is nice to know that I have that licensure. Just the pomp and the atmosphere alone were worth it.” On Monday, April 6, Southern and 36 other members of his University of Dayton alumni group were sworn in before eight of the nine Supreme Court Justices in the same room where many famous legal cases have been argued. Southern was honored to be in the room where Brown v. Board of Education and Miranda v. Arizona were decided. “We also had breakfast with the Clerk of Courts in one of the chambers where Justices used to debate cases,” he said. To be accepted into the Supreme Court Bar, attorneys must be sponsored by two current members. A background check is conducted, then a third current member must petition the court for entry. Professionally, this achievement may not mean much, but personally, it means a lot to Southern. “It’s a symbolic step,” he said. “I’m from West Virginia, one generation out of the coal mines. While I likely will never use that licensure, it’s a personal accomplishment for me.”
