How does our work strengthen justice for everyone?

When the people shaping the law bring a wider range of perspectives, experiences, and values to the table, the outcomes change for the better. A more diverse and representative appellate system leads to legal decisions that are not only more just, but more grounded in reality and more responsive to the needs of all communities. Representation is also essential to build public trust in the legal system.

Who gets to shape the law?

Despite the power of appellate courts, access to this field has long been concentrated in the hands of a few. The people deciding which cases are heard and how the law evolves are overwhelmingly from similar academic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

According to the Federal Judicial Center:

Percentage of People of Color on State Supreme Courts

Source: Brennan Center for Justice

State appellate courts lack diverse representation

According to the Brennan Center for Justice:

  • People of color make up over 40% of the U.S. population but hold just 20% of state supreme court seats

  • In 19 states, not a single state supreme court justice is a person of color

  • This includes 13 states where people of color make up at least 20% of the population

What are the barriers to appellate practice?

Access to appellate careers is often shaped by early exposure, elite credentials, and informal networks that are not equally available to all. As a result, many talented students from underrepresented backgrounds are left out of the pathway altogether. 

Learn how we're expanding access

When the same kinds of voices dominate these spaces, it limits not only who gets to practice appellate law, but also whose experiences are reflected in the decisions that shape our rights and freedoms.

Expanding access to appellate practice is essential to building a legal system that reflects the full diversity of the people it governs.

How are we changing our highest courts?

We are building an appellate field where those shaping the law reflect the communities most impacted by it. Through mentorship, training, and new pathways into appellate careers, The Appellate Project prepares emerging leaders to thrive in a field that has historically excluded them. By removing barriers and recognizing that lived experience is essential to just outcomes, our work shifts the center of gravity in one of the most powerful corners of the legal system.

Success means seeing TAP alumni serve as judges, clerks, advocates, and scholars who will impact how the law is interpreted and who it serves. It means a future where precedent is built not by the few, but by and for the many.

Learn more: See our impact.

in their words

  • As a Black woman arguing Buck v. Davis before the Supreme Court, I stood as a living refutation of the race-as-dangerousness opinion at the heart of the case. And as one of the only women of color in the appellate field, I know how important it is to see yourself represented in these spaces. That’s why TAP’s mission to elevate underrepresented leaders in appellate law is so critical.

    Christina Swarns
    Executive Director
    Innocence Project

  • With over 25 years of experience as an appellate and Supreme Court lawyer in both government and private practice, I have seen firsthand that the appellate bar lacks diversity. While many students can easily enter the world of appellate practice through familial or social connections, others face serious entry-level hurdles – like not knowing about internship and clerkship opportunities. These barriers aren’t about talent, dedication, or hard work: they’re about access. And ultimately, they keep promising young professionals from entering the appellate community. TAP is here to change that.

    Sarah Harrington
    Partner
    Covington & Burling LLP

  • If the “life of the law … has been experience,” its death knell surely is groupthink. Without the reasoned disagreement and vibrant debate associated with diverse experiences, the law is destined to become brittle dogma untethered to the promotion of equal justice. TAP understands this. That is why it paves the road to an appellate system where judges and advocates tend to reflect the different backgrounds and perspectives of the communities they serve.

    Cesar Lopez-Morales
    Supreme Court & Appellate Counsel
    Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

  • Like many other first-generation lawyers, I didn’t know that appellate work was even a thing when I started law school. So I was lucky to have mentors like (now Judge) Vince Chhabria (while still in law school) and (now Chief Judge) Sri Srinivasan (while at the SG’s office) who set me on the right path. But TAP has taken it to a new level to afford such valuable mentorship to a much broader group of aspiring appellate advocates.

    Pratik Shah
    Head of Supreme Court & Appellate Practice
    Akin

  • The Appellate Project is doing incredible work to reach and educate students who may not realize that judicial internships and clerkships are both accessible and to their benefit as they begin their legal careers. In fact, one of my term law clerks was a TAP mentee. The program helped him find opportunities that led to a district court clerkship and then to an appellate clerkship with me. I look forward to continuing to receive applications from students who are working with TAP.

    Honorable O. Rogeriee Thompson
    U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

  • As an appellate lawyer and former federal appellate judge, I know how appellate courts shape every facet of American life—and how the lawyers and judges in these rooms still don’t reflect the diversity of the communities most impacted by their decisions. The Appellate Project is changing that by opening doors to emerging leaders who have too often been excluded from these spaces. TAP’s work is critical to ensuring that our highest courts remain both fair and credible in the eyes of the people they serve.

    Judge Paul Watford (Ret.)
    Partner, King & Spalding LLP
    TAP Board Member

  • The Appellate Project is an invaluable resource for future Native American lawyers. Native Americans possess unique rights that are often decided in the appellate courts. Preparing the next generation of Native attorneys to be effective appellate advocates is thus critical to the future of Indian law.

    Lenny Powell
    Staff Attorney
    Native American Rights Fund

  • TAP fills an important role of demystifying and cracking open the appellate bar through mentorship and community. This is key in creating a more representative group of practitioners and judges, who help tee up and decide important questions for the whole country.

    Devi Rao
    Director of the Supreme Court and Appellate Program
    MacArthur Justice Center

  • The Appellate Project is invaluable. It makes the appellate world accessible to students who might otherwise find it intimidating, and it equips future leaders from diverse backgrounds with the mentorship, skills, and community to thrive.

    Deepak Gupta
    Founding Principal, Gupta Wessler LLP and Lecturer, Harvard Law School

  • TAP affirms what so many of us need to hear: that even when the path feels unfamiliar, we still belong in the room. At the Edward Coke Appellate Inn, I was reminded that even those great advocates we now admire, once felt uncertain too. But they didn’t close the door behind them – they reached back. And through TAP, they continue to do so. That kind of access doesn’t just open doors – it helps us walk into dreams once deferred, and long deserved.

    Torrell Mills
    2022-23 TAP Alum
    Georgetown University Law Center, Class of 2023

  • TAP has been transformative in my law school journey, building my confidence and reinforcing that there is a place for me—and others like me—here.

    William Vandergriff
    2024 TAP Alum
    Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Class of 2026

  • The J.M.K. Innovation Prize supports bold, early-stage problem-solvers leading groundbreaking projects across the US. We saw an extraordinary opportunity in The Appellate Project, which seeks to transform the pipeline of talent that feeds our nation’s highest courts. We’ve invested in TAP because of its visionary, creative approach to dismantling systemic barriers and ensuring equal justice under the law for all communities.

    Julia Bator
    Executive Director
    J.M. Kaplan Fund

  • Taking part in TAP's inaugural class of mentees allowed me to join a community of like-minded law students and lawyers of color interested in appellate work. Serving as a mentor over the past two years has enabled me to give back and further develop this community. I am humbled to be a part of TAP since its inception, and I look forward to volunteering in the years to come!

    Ayyan Zubair
    2020-21 TAP Alum
    UC Berkeley School of Law, Class of 2021

  • As a first-generation law student, TAP has served as an invaluable resource for me. I am especially appreciative of the academic and professional opportunities that TAP has provided. Specifically, I’ve had access to phenomenal mentors, attended workshops to improve my legal writing, and have spoken with sitting state and federal judges to learn what they look for in a successful law clerk.

    Alex Bailey
    2021-22 TAP Alum
    University of Illinois College of Law, Class of 2023

  • TAP does more than connect students with people who have successfully cracked into the field—it gives them the chance to form connections with lawyers who have done so at the highest levels. I know I would not be where I am without the group of people—including the folks at TAP—who took me under their wings. The best thing I can do in return is pay it forward.

    Darryl E. Williams, Jr.
    2020-21 TAP Alum
    Howard University School of Law, Class of 2022

  • The Appellate Project provided me with a safe space to learn from various appellate attorneys and provided me with a wonderful community across the country. Participating in the program allowed me to better understand the world of appellate advocacy and it reaffirmed my commitment to seeking justice through the legal profession.

    Christina Cruz
    2021-22 TAP Alum
    University of Connecticut School of Law, Class of 2024

  • As a second career student—eight years removed from school—I especially appreciated TAP's 1:1 Legal Writing Program. My TAP legal writing coaches provided clear, practical, and actionable feedback on my writing throughout the year. And TAP’s legal writing trainings helped me identify great writing and understand the ‘science’ behind good prose. Thanks to TAP, I have become a clearer, punchier, and more succinct legal writer.

    Nicole Williams
    2021-22 TAP Alum
    Temple University Beasley School of Law, Class of 2025

  • There are not many words that can describe the level of gratitude I have for TAP pairing me with Armani. He’s helped me navigate 18+ clerkship interviews, life decisions, career goals—every step of the way. When he couldn’t find an affordable flight, he rented a car, grabbed his fiancée, and drove five hours while working from the road to attend my swearing-in. I really consider myself lucky.

    Kendrick Peterson
    2022-23 TAP Alum
    UC Berkeley School of Law, Class of 2024

  • Attending oral arguments at the First Circuit was particularly meaningful for me, given the fact that one of the cases we heard will determine the fate of my sister Tribe’s reservation lands. Hearing advocates on both sides debate the Tribe’s past, present, and future reminded me how important it is to have members of our communities represented in the appellate field, helping create binding precedents that promote tribal sovereignty and self-determination.

    Samantha Maltais
    2022-23 TAP Alum
    Harvard Law School, Class of 2024

Appellate Resources

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What Is an Inn of Court—And Why It Matters for Aspiring Appellate Leaders
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What Is an Inn of Court—And Why It Matters for Aspiring Appellate Leaders
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TAP alumni had the rare opportunity to attend a private event hosted by the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court—the first and only American Inn of Court dedicated specifically to appellate practice.

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5 Statistics That Explain Why TAP Exists
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5 Statistics That Explain Why TAP Exists
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We believe the future of appellate law can and should reflect the full experiences and perspectives of our nation.

Resources