We don't need no stinking clerkship!

The dream I always had but have realized will never come true is to be a Supreme Court law clerk. Such a tiny fraction of graduating law students ever receive the honor of helping to shape the law of our country, sitting at the hip of a justice and learning their insights and influence, and witnessing history, that it is naturally an incredibly competitive position. And for those who achieve the ultimate pinnacle of getting a Supreme Court clerkship, the top law firms offer signing bonuses that are well in excess of a year's pay at such firms.

Which is why it is all the more surprising that after being the first black editor of the Harvardd Law Review ever, Barack Obama was apparently heavily recruited for federal clerkships that would feed directly to the Supreme Court but turned them all down in order to go back to Chicago and work in civil rights law.

To people like me who would kill for such an opportunity, this doesn't make sense. Who wouldn't be seduced by the siren call of prestigious clerkships, money, and all the trappings that come with being part of one of the most exclusive clubs in the country? Normally I would say someone who felt uneasy being in the presence of the rich and powerful, but after all Obama did go to Harvard so he must've gotten used to that by the time he was done. No, instead I think he really did have a plan. We can all debate (ahem, Hillary) exactly what this plan entailed, but I still think you have to admire someone's commitment, or their insanity, in turning down what every other law student in the country would have killed for.