Tracey E. George, Mitu Gulati, & Albert H. Yoon
94 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. Arguendo 61
A Supreme Court clerkship is the legal profession’s most valuable credential, yet access is increasingly controlled by a microscopic subset of the federal judiciary. This Essay presents an analysis of the “feeder judge” phenomenon, revealing a system defined by concentration, demographic homogeneity, and ideological matching. A small, elite band of lower federal court judges account for a disproportionate share of all Supreme Court placements. The data further demonstrates the rise of credential stacking, where successful applicants now require multiple prior clerkships and years of delay before reaching the Court. Through interviews with federal judges, we uncover the mechanisms of this sorting process, from law school recruitment to the emerging practice of cofeeding. These feeders function not merely as mentors, but as drivers of an increasingly rarified and nonrepresentative judicial ecosystem.
