U.S. Supreme Court Certiorari: A Panel Discussion

3pm-4pm  |  CLE Program -  Courtroom 3 on the Fifth Floor
(in-person attendance only)
4pm-5pm  |  Reception - 6th Floor Conference Room

Following the CLE program, there will be a reception to honor Susan Gelmis, the Ninth Circuit’s Chief Deputy Clerk of Operations, who is retiring in March.

Greg Miller is a Partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP, in both the Complex Litigation and Advisement group, as well as the Appellate and Supreme Court group.  He represents companies in complex product liability and commercial litigation in state and federal courts across the United States. Greg has litigated multiple cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as handling appeals in many federal and state appellate courts.  Before private practice, Greg clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas at the U.S. Supreme Court, Chief Judge Ed Carnes at the Eleventh Circuit, Justice David Nahmias at the Supreme Court of Georgia, and Amul Thapar in the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Professor Liz Porter teaches and writes in the areas of torts, civil procedure, constitutional law, and federal courts. Her research has been published at journals including the Columbia Law Review, the Cornell Law Review, the NYU Law Review and the Washington Law Review. She has been at the University of Washington since 2010. Prior to that, she served as a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Sidney R. Thomas at the Ninth Circuit.

James Sigel is a nationally respected appellate litigator and Co-Chair of the Appellate Practice at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. An expert on constitutional, statutory, and regulatory issues, James has filed well over 100 briefs in various jurisdictions, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He has a wealth of behind-the-scenes knowledge while serving as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and for judges on the California Supreme Court, the 9th Circuit, and the D.C. Circuit.

1.0 CLE Credit to be applied for in Washington.

Chief Judge Estudillo Presents:
WDWA’s 2026 Annual CLE and District Meeting
One Battle After Another – Immigration, Elections and the Courts

Speakers:

Immigration Panel:

Matt Adams, Legal Director, Northwest Immigrants Rights Project
Catherine Ahlin-Halverson, Staff Attorney, ACLU of Minnesota
Jennie Pasquarella, Legal Director, Seattle Clemency Project

Moderated by:
Professor Angélica Cházaro, University of Washington School of Law

Election Panel:

Abha Khanna, Partner, Elias Law Group
Sam Oliker-Friedland, Executive Director, Institute for Responsive Government
Benjamin Plener Cover, Professor, University of Idaho College of Law

Moderated by: Zach Pekelis, Partner, Pacifica Law Group

The program will also include remarks from Chief Judge Estudillo on the state of the District Court, as well as from Chief Judge Alston on the state of the Bankruptcy Court.

Time:
1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
reception to follow

Location:
U.S. District Courthouse
700 Stewart Street
Seattle, WA 98101 

CLE credits will be requested through WSBA

Registration prices include all applicable taxes.