A Supreme Achievement

For the first time, four recent NYU School of Law graduates were selected to clerk at the United States Supreme Court in the same term.

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor chose Joel Beauvais (’02) and Theano Evangelis (’03)—also the first time two NYU alumni will work together for a single member of the court. Larry Thompson, Jr. (’03) was picked to clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, but deferred for a year. Justice David Souter selected Christine Van Aken (’02).

Beauvais ranked second in his graduating class. Among his many awards, he earned the Frank H. Sommer Memorial Award for outstanding scholarship, character and professional activities. During the 2003-04 term, he clerked for the Honorable Harry T. Edwards of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

A recipient of the University Graduation Prize given to the highest-ranked student, Evangelis received the Judge Rose L. and Herbert Rubin Law Review Prize for the most outstanding note written for the Law Review in international, commercial or public law. She recently completed a clerkship with Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Thompson won the Edward Weinfeld Prize for distinguished scholarship in federal courts, civil procedure and practice. Last year he clerked for the Honorable J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Van Aken, a Root-Tilden-Kern Scholar, also won the University Graduation award. During the 2002-03 term, she clerked for the Honorable Pierre N. Leval of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and was most recently an associate in the New York office of Arnold & Porter. Crediting the Law School for its support, she says, “Because I enjoyed my professors and fellow students so much it made it easier to reach what I thought was my potential.”