The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law is pleased to announce James Jackson, Texas A&M School of Law, for his second place finish at 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.

Jackson graduated from The University of Texas at Tyler in December 2019 with a B.A. in political science, minor in philosophy, and he will be graduating from Texas A&M School of Law in May 2023. After graduation, Jackson will be clerking for Judge Gina M. Groh in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia for the 2023-2025 term.

James Jackson recently reflected on the importance of a conference like the Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing Conference. He 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." He also added, "Heading into my clerkship, I am grateful that the Conference allowed me that first step."

Jackson was honored that the judges selected his opinion for the second place CSL prize. He also wanted to share, "I would like to thank Dean Errisuriz for his consistent advice throughout my time in law school. I am also grateful for my parents, who taught me that anything is possible with integrity and work ethic."