The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law is pleased to announce the winners and finalists in the Third Annual CSL Prize in Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing competition held in conjunction with the Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing Conference which was held February 23-25, 2023.

The competition was open to all conferees, which consisted of rising clerks who will serve in federal or state appellate court chambers in the coming year. Subsequent to two days of writing instruction from conference faculty, each entrant drafted a short judicial opinion based on a First Amendment problem written by the Columbus School of Law. The entrants were then submitted for judging in a blind competition to the Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing Conference faculty who also served as the judges of the competition. The competition was based solely on writing criteria.

The 2023 winners and finalists are as follows:

2023 Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing Prize Winner:

Anna-Jamieson Beck, University of North Carolina School of Law
Beck shared, "I initially wanted to attend the Conference because I’m always looking for opportunities to improve as a writer. The Conference lived up to all my expectations, and I found the experience incredibly valuable."

Second Place:

James Jackson, Texas A&M University School of Law
Jackson shared, "the Conference provided me the room to ask questions. Knowing what you don’t know is the first step to growth, and students aren’t necessarily taught opinion writing in law school. As such, the Conference’s ability to be both a substantive experience and a preview of lessons-to-come is a powerful tool for future clerks."

Honorable Mention:

Julia DeLapp, Wayne State University School of Law
DeLapp shared, "I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing Conference. Professor Harmon and CUA’s Columbus School of Law organized an exceptional event."