On May 29, 2024, it was reported that Justice Amy Coney Barrett's husband, Jesse Barrett, is representing Fox Corporation in an ongoing defamation lawsuit [2e7baef7]. The lawsuit was filed by Lavell Redmond, a man from Illinois who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault as a minor and served 24 years in prison. Redmond is seeking $3 million from the corporation. Jesse Barrett, a partner at SouthBank Legal, has moved the defamation case from Cook County, Illinois, to federal court. This revelation has raised concerns about transparency, as Justice Barrett has not disclosed her husband's clients. The public has no way of knowing who is paying money directly to their families [2e7baef7].
In other news, on May 10, 2024, 182 new lawyers were sworn in to the Ohio bar, including Spencer and Rebecca Sukel. The couple met during their first semester of law school in South Carolina in spring 2021. After adopting two dogs and transferring to the University of Akron School of Law, they excelled in their studies and externships at the Supreme Court. Despite the challenges of preparing for their first child, they graduated from law school in December and will now be practicing law in Cleveland. Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy welcomed the new attorneys and emphasized the hard work and perseverance required to graduate law school and pass the bar. She also encouraged them to give back to their communities, especially in areas with a shortage of legal representation [a53e3927].
Additionally, Elizabeth Totzke, a 2019 graduate of St. Norbert College and a 2022 graduate of Notre Dame Law School, has been named Clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett during the 2024-25 term. Totzke's husband, Hunter Van Asten, is also a 2019 St. Norbert College grad and a 2022 graduate of Notre Dame Law School. Totzke expressed her honor and admiration for Justice Barrett and sees her as a role model for her legal career [64e257ed].