By Angelina Maria-Vita White, J.D. Candidate at Syracuse University College of Law
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit heard oral arguments and celebrated the life of the Honorable Rosemary S. Pooler at Syracuse University College of Law (“SUCOL”) on Thursday and Friday, March 27 and 28.
More than 120 attendees, including colleagues, clerks, and friends, paid respects to Judge Pooler on Thursday, through remembrances of her legal legacy, humor, and persistence. Remembrances were shared by Chief United States Circuit Judge Debra Ann Livingston, United States Circuit Judge Richard C. Wesley, Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes, Judge Pooler’s former career clerk Lilian A. Pfohl, and Judge Pooler’s former term clerk and Syracuse Law Associate Professor Jenny S. Breen.
University of Wisconsin Law School Professor Miriam Seifter delivered the event’s keynote address, the first Hon. Rosemary Pooler Memorial Lecture. Professor Seifter, who was a summer extern in Judge Pooler’s chambers, noted Judge Pooler’s early career as a consumer advocate and that Judge Pooler “was ready to go to bat for the consumer, the immigrant, the worker, and the indigent,” which shaped Judge Pooler’s perspective on the law and how she decided cases. Many speakers revered Judge Pooler’s focus on individuals impacted by her decisions, and noted that she would write opinions considering their practical impacts despite at times being reversed by the Supreme Court.
Following the lecture, SUCOL hosted a cocktail-hour celebration that included a toast to the newest judges of the Northern District of New York, United States District Judges Anthony Brindisi and Elizabeth Coombe, and United States Magistrate Judges Paul Evangelista and Mitchell Katz.
On Friday morning, the Second Circuit heard arguments in Keri Spring v. Allegany-Limestone Central School District and United States v. Clark. The appeals were heard by Chief Judge Livingston, Judge Wesley, and Chief Judge Sannes sitting by designation. Spring v. Allegany-Limestone featured arguments for a reduction of attorney’s fees, hearsay admission, and a substantial relationship to disability, bringing storytelling and practical legal doctrine to the law school’s Melanie Gray Courtroom. Whereas United States v. Clark involved a discussion of ineffective assistance of counsel and featured a lively argument on attorney obligations. Incorporating Judge Wesley’s witty humor and the panel’s precise questions, the oral arguments presented a great learning experience for the law students and attorneys in their presence.
Chief Judge Livingston told the FCBA newsletter: “The Court of Appeals very much appreciates the opportunity to ‘ride circuit’ on occasion, and to hear cases in venues other than the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse, our Court’s seat in Manhattan. We have a strong oral argument tradition on our Court. Hearing argument in district courts and law schools across the Circuit is part of our commitment to carrying on in that tradition, and making the operations of our court accessible to the bar and to the public. In past years, the Court has held argument in Rutland, Vermont; Hartford, Connecticut; and Buffalo and Syracuse, New York, among other places.”
These events marked the highlight and beginning of SUCOL’s annual Clerkship Week, a learning opportunity for students interested in clerkships to hear from clerks, faculty, and alumni about their experiences and the application process. The law school was last scheduled to host the Second Circuit on March 23, 2020, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Federal appellate court oral arguments at law schools provide law students and local professionals with in-person exposure to federal appellate practice. Since law students typically experience the law in controlled classroom environments, live oral arguments present the complexity and unpredictability that students lack experience in. Also, it allows for local professionals who are unable to attend oral arguments in other geographic regions to learn from appellate advocates.
In Syracuse, attorneys and students alike enjoyed the two-day celebration of the appellate process and the contributions of a cherished judge.
University of Wisconsin Law School Professor Miriam Seifter delivers the first Hon. Rosemary Pooler Memorial Lecture at Syracuse University College of Law on March 27, 2025. Photo credit: Angelina Grevi