group of people, standing and looking at the camera

With SIU School of Law Dean Camille Davidson, center, law school alumni recently sworn in to present written briefs and argue cases before the nation’s highest court are, from left, William Mann, Shekera Algarin, Aaron Hopkins, Thomas Bowman, Candice Stearns and Kacey Eisenhauer. (Photo provided)

March 03, 2023

SIU School of Law alumni sworn in to appear before U.S. Supreme Court

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Six Southern Illinois University School of Law alumni recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to take oaths to become members of the U.S. Supreme Court bar, which means they are now eligible to present written briefs and argue cases before the nation’s highest court.

Dean Camille Davidson presented each of the alumni to Chief Justice John Roberts, who accepted them into the court on Feb. 22. Each applicant is required to have endorsements of two members of the Supreme Court bar.

Alumni by hometown and the year they graduated from law school are:

Shekera Algarin, Brooklyn, New York, 1999.

Thomas Bowman, Decatur, Illinois, 2016.

Kacey Eisenhauer, Carbondale, Illinois, 2017

Aaron Hopkins, West Frankfort, Illinois, 2000.

William Mann, Guntersville, Alabama, 2014.

Candice Stearns, Springfield, Illinois, 2016.

A seventh alum, Amanda Lesinki, an attorney from Corpus Christi, Texas, and a 2018 SIU School of Law graduate, was unable to attend and sworn in by written motion in court.