Recent rankings highlight NDLS alumni success in federal courts
The Washington Post published an article on November 28 titled “Notre Dame is a pipeline for Supreme Court clerks, magnet for justices.” Describing the university’s larger Catholic mission, the Post wrote, “The justices, meanwhile, are flocking to Notre Dame to teach, lecture and enjoy the elaborate Fighting Irish football festivities. Their growing ties in part reflect shared legal views between the conservative justices and the Catholic law school.”
U.S. News & World Report ranks Notre Dame Law School (NDLS) as 20th on their Best Law Schools list. However, when ranked on federal clerkships for its graduates, NDLS places 4th in the nation, with nearly 19 percent of graduates clerking on the federal bench.
Father Patrick Reidy, C.S.C., a professor of law, is currently clerking for Justice Brett Kavanaugh, one of several Law School faculty to clerk for the nation’s highest court.
The Washington Post described an increasingly conservative faculty body at the Law School. Quoting former law professor Mark McKenna, “Every time someone left, as a general rule, they were replaced by someone considerably more conservative.”
Marcus Cole, Dean of the Law School, defended the Catholic orientation of the law school from the notion that it fosters an overly conservative academic environment. Comparing Notre Dame to other institutions, Cole said NDLS “doesn’t openly discriminate against conservative scholars,” adding, “We are willing to hire people without regard to their approach to law and legal interpretation. We don’t have a litmus test.”
61 percent of the Law School’s students are Catholic, compared to 82 percent for the undergraduate student body. Dean Cole, according to FEC records, donated 250 dollars to Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign.
The Post cited Varun Cidambi, president of the American Constitution Society’s chapter on campus, a liberal group, as highlighting that law students at ND hold diverse views, with both liberal and conservative student groups being active.
Students are enthusiastic about Notre Dame Law School graduates’ success in securing prestigious clerkships. Quinlen Schachle, a freshman studying PLS who plans on applying to law school, is seriously considering Notre Dame. “It seems like a great program with a top-tier educational experience and unmatched opportunities,” Schachle said.
One second-year law student said, “Thanks to the failures of the traditionally elite law schools, conservative and Catholic professors who would have otherwise ended up at a Harvard or a Yale ended up at Notre Dame, and we get to reap the benefits. Not only do we get to learn from many of the brightest minds in the law, but we also get to be mentored and formed by them because they are first and foremost good people.”
A sophomore global affairs student in McGlinn Hall considered the Law School’s rising standing as “deeply impactful for Catholic academia.” She added, “Justice Barrett adds a degree of connection with the legal establishment that provides more opportunity than ever for students.”
NDLS received more than 2,400 applications in the last application cycle, showing a slight decrease from 2023. In 2024, per the American Bar Association, NDLS had an acceptance rate of just over 23.2 percent, down from 24.4 percent last year. The class of 2027’s median LSAT score was 169, coming from 111 different undergraduate universities.
The Notre Dame Law Review, founded in 1925, is currently taking submissions for its 100th volume.
Sam Marchand is a sophomore studying political science and finance from Beaumont, Texas. He squanders much of his spare time by reading the Current Events section of Wikipedia preparing arguments for ND Speech & Debate, of which he serves as president. He can be reached at smarcha3@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: ND Law School
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