JOINING THE JUSTICE: DARRYL E. WILLIAMS, JR.’s JOURNEY TO THE SUPREME COURT
TAP Alum Darryl E. Williams, Jr. Will Clerk for Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson During the October Term 2026
A Call from the Justice
December 22, 2025 started like any other day for Darryl E. Williams, Jr. He was in the car with his wife Erica, on his way to work. Just as he mustered the energy to leave the passenger seat, his phone rang. A characteristically “D.C.” area code appeared—“202.” Cautious, he answered his phone and immediately recognized the voice of Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson’s Judicial Assistant. The two met the prior week when Darryl was invited to interview for a clerkship position with the Justice. When asked what he remembered when he was transferred to Justice Jackson, Darryl recounted:
“Everything was a blur. Justice Jackson must’ve offered me the job, and I must’ve said ‘yes.’ But I truly don’t remember. The one thing I do remember thinking was how special it was that Erica—who had been there for every other part of the journey—happened to be with me the moment I got that call and how she was as excited as ever.”
In that moment, Darryl joined a small legacy of elite attorneys selected to clerk for our nation’s highest court, in a role that is widely regarded as among the most competitive in the legal profession. Despite making history as one of few alumni from a Historical Black College or University (“HBCU”) to be selected to clerk for a Supreme Court Justice, Darryl’s mind was not consumed by thoughts of his own success. Instead, his immediate thought was “I need to call my people.” For Darryl, that moment did not just belong to him. From the beginning, community and mentorship have shaped Darryl and his professional path in every way that matters. As he shared:
“I’m very aware that I didn’t get here alone. Every step of the way, someone was there to open a door, give advice, or remind me that I belonged in the rooms I was in. So, this feels less like a story about ‘Darryl’ and more like a story about the people who poured into me along the way: my family, my friends, my judges, and the TAP community all played a role.”
Recognizing that the journey one takes in pursuit of a goal is just as meaningful as achieving it, we asked Darryl to share more about his path to the Supreme Court.
The Payoff of Persistence
Darryl graduated from Florida A&M University, magna cum laude. There, he studied criminal justice and developed a passion to not only understand the law, but to one day influence the way its systems interact with and intimately impact people. The year before he started law school, Darryl attended Howard University’s Pre-Law Summer Enrichment Program. As it would turn out, he later enrolled at Howard University School of Law (“HUSL”)—the only law school he applied to. He went on to thrive at HUSL, taking advantage of every opportunity he could. Darryl competed in moot court, participated in judicial externships, served as a Student Attorney in HUSL’s Civil Rights Appellate Clinic, and interned with the Federal Defenders.
After graduating in the top 2% of his law school class, Darryl started his legal career as a Supreme Court and Appellate Associate at Hogan Lovells. He left the firm to clerk for Judge Michael Nachmanoff in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Next, he joined Judge Toby Heytens’ chambers on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. After that, he served as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General. Darryl re-joined Hogan’s appellate practice at the end of his fellowship and will remain there until he starts with Justice Jackson this summer.
Darryl’s journey, in many respects, demonstrates purposefulness, focused determination, and an exceptional work ethic. Perhaps less apparent, however, was the persistence it required of him when the path felt less clear. Darryl emphasized that his journey wasn’t nearly as linear as it might appear. He did not graduate from law school with his clerkships lined up. And he applied to clerk for Justice Jackson more than once. In the moments when doubt crept in, Darryl maintained “a willingness to keep trying even when the path wasn’t obvious.”
Looking Forward
Juvaria Khan founded The Appellate Project to empower “a new generation of leaders to bring their insight, diverse lived experience, and excellence to the highest levels of our legal system.” Darryl, an Alumnus of TAP’s inaugural Mentorship Program, now has the opportunity to bring his talents, his experience, and his training to Justice Jackson’s chambers in the highest court of our nation. We asked Darryl what this opportunity means to him.
His interest in Justice Jackson’s jurisprudence began during his 1L year at HUSL. At the time, Justice Jackson sat on the District Court of the District of Columbia. He recalled saving a screenshot of her old Wikipedia page on his phone. From then on, he followed the Justice’s career closely. During his 3L year, he attended a day of her confirmation hearing. And during his first year at Hogan, Darryl just so happened to be at the Court for an oral argument the day she took the bench.
“Getting the chance to learn from her now feels surreal. She brings her deep commitment to clarity and fairness to bear in all the cases before her—the exact qualities that drew me to clerking in the first place. And the fact that she brings a criminal-law background to the Court is, for me, a bonus. Admittedly, this feels like the kind of opportunity you hope for but never assume will actually happen.”
Given the barriers that attorneys from underrepresented communities must overcome every day to bring their talents to the highest levels of our legal system, that assumption is not misplaced. In fact, when he starts, Darryl will make history as only the second Howard Law alumni to clerk at the Supreme Court. The first alumni to clerk for a Justice did so back in the 1980s. We asked Darryl what it meant for him to be making this kind of history.
“It’s honestly hard to put into words. But the thing I think about most is my hope that it won’t be another 40 years before the next one. I have so many friends and classmates that are just as deserving of this privilege, if not more.
So, while I’m proud, I’m also very aware that this is bigger than me. If my clerkship helps make the path a little more visible—or a little more believable—then that will mean more to me than any personal acclaim.”
“Tell People Your Goals”
Looking back at his time in law school, we asked Darryl what he would tell his younger self if possible. He said:
“I’d start with the cliche: ‘work hard,’ ‘read everything,’ ‘write a lot,’ ‘don’t give up.’ But then I’d tell him something I didn’t fully appreciate at the time: ‘tell people your goals.’ Too many people—especially those without ‘the playbook’—keep their ambitions quiet and end up self-selecting out of opportunities they could absolutely attain. And as Erica likes to remind me, ‘only the squeaky wheel gets the oil.’”
Darryl regards so much of his journey as a team effort. And as anyone with experience playing a team sport will understand, your team can only help you if they know the play you’re trying to run. As Darryl puts it “by sharing your goals, even the ones that feel lofty, you give people the chance to support you, guide you, and remind you that you’re not crazy for taking the shot.”
Congratulations to Darryl on this amazing opportunity! Your TAP community celebrates you. We are tremendously proud of you and have no doubt that you will excel in the journey ahead. Good luck!
