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Justice Neil Gorsuch is perhaps best known around these parts as the man who stole Judge Merrick Garland’s seat on the Supreme Court, but this term alone he surprised many by siding with his liberal colleagues more often than any other conservative on the high court. In another surprise, Gorsuch — the same man who wanted to let a trucker freeze to death in the name of dismantling Chevron deference — offered some very special law school advice to a first-year student in search of a Supreme autograph.
Patrick Sobkowski, a rising 2L at the University of Dayton School of Law, recently received this touching note from Justice Gorsuch:
Here are the most important parts of Justice Gorsuch’s letter:
My advice to law students is very simple: work hard, learn to write and speak effectively, never give up your passions, treasure your family and friendships, find time to do public service, and learn to win — and lose — graciously.
More than all that, know you will have many regrets in life — things said or done or things left unsaid or undone — but the one thing you will never regret is being kind.
As noted by Sobkowski, this letter is chockful of “[f]antastic advice[,] regardless of whether you are a lawyer or not.” It’ll be a nice keepsake from a Supreme Court justice whose heart we once believed was as cold as ice.
Life advice from US Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch [Quartz]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.