Susannah Prucka, an Adjunct Instructor of Political Science, and four UMBC students visited the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, January 20 to sit in on oral arguments and meet with two of Justice Samuel Alito’s law clerks. The students were part of a fall course titled the “Judicial Process,” in which they studied the judicial branch and judicial decision-making.
William Rice, Lereiya Edmonson, Nelly Waribe, and Ellis Zapas were the students who participated in the visit and are all juniors and political science majors. During their time at the Supreme Court, the students saw oral arguments in two cases: Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar and Armstrong et al. v. Exceptional Child Center, Inc., et al. In addition to meeting with Justice Alito’s law clerks, the students also met with Dan Schweitzer, Supreme Court Counsel for the National Association of Attorneys General. Mr. Schweitzer and the law clerks discussed their respective roles before the Supreme Court and provided insight on life as an attorney.
During the semester, in studying the judicial process, the students heard from several other speakers in the legal profession: the Honorable James Elyer (retired) of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals; Noel Francisco of Jones Day; Larry Doan of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, Michelle Martin of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, and Christopher Wheatcroft ’97, political science, of Alperstein & Diener PA.
Susannah Prucka has been an adjunct instructor of political science since 2012, and is an Assistant Attorney General and Appellate Litigator for the State of Maryland. She is a member of the Maryland and United States Supreme Court bars.
Tags: CAHSS, PoliticalScience
