“Learn how to read, and read well,” West said. “Hillsdale is excellent preparation for both the study and the practice of law.”

West joined Elliot Gaiser ‘12  to speak to attendees about their experiences as U.S. Supreme Court clerks for Associate Justice Samuel Alito. They described the debates surrounding constitutional law and offered advice to Hillsdale students interested in law careers.

The two former clerks visited campus to teach a one-week, one-credit Constitutional Interpretation course.

Professor of Philosophy and Religion and Federalist Society adviser Nathan Schlueter moderated the Q&A. Aided by questions from Schlueter, Gaiser and West explained their paths from Hillsdale College to the Supreme Court. West majored in philosophy at Hillsdale and graduated from Yale Law School in 2018. Gaiser majored in political economy and attended The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law for one year before transferring to the University of Chicago to complete his law degree. Both worked for various law firms and clerked for federal judges before clerking for Alito.

During their year-long clerkships, Gaiser and West worked closely with Associate Justice Samuel Alito, conducting research and advising the justice on cases that came before the high court.

“We sat there. We were there,” Gaiser said. “We watched the process. We were flies on the wall in the courtroom. We heard about how the votes of the court came down and saw how the opinions came together. We got to see them through to the point where they were published and became the law of the case and the law of the land.”

Gaiser and West described an environment of collegiality inside the high court, even among colleagues who disagreed on contentious legal issues. After a long day of work, clerks in different offices would be willing to put aside differences and enjoy each other’s company.

“One thing that the clerks do is they have happy hour every Thursday,” West said. “Each chamber takes a week to buy dinner and drinks for the other clerks. It’s a good opportunity to unwind a little bit with people who you don’t always agree with.”

Many student questions followed a common theme that developed throughout the night’s discussion: declining trust in American institutions.

“I think really the answer is just follow the law,” Gaiser said. “The laws we have are pretty good. They are an inheritance, and we should cherish it. The way you do that is that you abide by it. In instances where justice isn’t done, it’s usually because the law was broken. It’s not because justice and the law are on opposite sides.”

Gaiser said he remains optimistic about America’s legal institutions. He assured students it is still possible to affect change in the current political and legal systems.

“There are many people who never thought certain decisions would come down in their lifetime,” Gaiser said. “The little ladies who prayed for the end of segregation probably never thought that Brown v. Board of Education would happen. I think there are many people who never thought they would see the day of some other decisions. So you don’t know what your life might hold and what good things might be part of that.”

Schlueter, who taught both panelists while they were at Hillsdale, said he was pleased with the event.

“I think the event was a success,” Schlueter said. “Great turnout and great feedback from the students. First year students especially got to see firsthand what a Hillsdale education can do, not just for career advancement but for the whole person — for intellectual development and moral integrity.”

Professor of Economics and Public Policy Gary Wolfram, who taught Gaiser at Hillsdale, said he was happy to see how far one of his former students has advanced in his career.

“It just makes you glad that maybe you had something to do with that,” Wolfram said. “Our graduates go well beyond what otherwise might be expected.”

During the talk, West advised students interested in a career in law to work diligently in their classes.

Freshman Noah LoBue said he found the lecture helpful as a student interested in a law career.

“Being a freshman, I’m right out of high school,” LoBue said. “I feel like right now I know nothing. It’s really cool to see what I could possibly be in the future, going from point A to point B. There’s going to be a lot of hard work, but they make it look like it’s possible.”