Hillsdale’s Federalist Society Board takes a picture with Schlueter and Zahra. Courtesy | Evelyn Shurtliff
The Federalist Society recognized Leo Schlueter ’22 on Sept. 4 for his leadership with the group.
Schlueter is the first recipient of the Brian Zahra Alumni Excellence Award, which is a new recognition the Hillsdale Federalist Society will present to a graduate each year for involvement in the society as an undergraduate and throughout law school. The Federalist Society is a national organization of conservative and libertarian legal students.
Schlueter served as president of the Federalist Society at both the Hillsdale and the University of Notre Dame Law School chapters. He graduated from Notre Dame with a juris doctor degree in May, and is now a clerk for Judge Cristal Brisco.
“As president at Hillsdale, I tried to make it as good of a chapter as I could,” Schlueter said. “It’s biggest potential here is helping undergraduates have vocational discernment about law school.”
The chapter, one of few undergraduate chapters in the country, also wants to recognize recent law school graduates who are moving into professional life, according to junior Bradley Haley, president of the Federalist Society.
“We want the incoming freshmen to be able to see how the Federalist Society can benefit them all the way through their undergraduate time and through law school, if they choose to go that route,” Haley said. “So the award will be a recent law school graduate who’s involved with the Federalist Society here at Hillsdale, and then continues through law school.”
The Hillsdale Federalist Society named the award after Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian Zahra, who was instrumental in founding Hillsdale’s chapter in 2016.
“I could not be more proud to be the first beneficiary of an award named after Justice Zahra, who has been a continual example and guide to me in my path to working with Hillsdale Fed Soc, as well as discerning and attending law school,” Schlueter said in his acceptance speech.
Junior Isabella Walsh, vice president of the Federalist Society, said Hillsdale’s chapter owes a lot to Zahra.
He was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court in 2011 to fill a vacancy, and he was reelected to a full term in 2014. He graduated from the University of Detroit School of Law.
“I was truly humbled by the honor of having an award named after me,” Zahra said. “To this point in my life, I would be happy to receive an award. I never thought there’d be a point in my life where actually they’d consider naming an award after me, and it gave me goosebumps.”
Zahra’s parents were born in Malta. He was a first-generation college student while operating a small personal store that eventually developed into a grocery store, according to Zahra. He began visiting Hillsdale regularly after College President Larry Arnn invited him to do research for Hillsdale.
“I came up here regularly to do it,” Zahra said. “And I fell in love with the campus and the students.”
Zahra pushed to start a chapter of the Federalist Society at Hillsdale. His efforts resulted in Hillsdale becoming the second undergraduate chapter of the Federalist Society in the nation.
“He really personifies this Hillsdale ethos of self-giving to support others, to build something great and good, and we would not be here if it was not for him,” Professor of Philosophy and Leo Schlueter’s father Nathan Schlueter said.
Zahra said that he wanted the Federalist Society to begin a chapter at Hillsdale because he wanted to be able to help mentor students.
“One of the things I got out of the Federalist Society is not only a proper understanding of judicial philosophy, it was also networking and finding mentors that I lacked because I didn’t have any lawyers in the family,” Zahra said. “So there’s so many benefits. I strongly encourage you to participate.”
Zahra described Leo Schlueter as someone who also mentored others.
“I want to congratulate Leo,” Zahra said in his speech. “At a young age, Leo, you showed many of the traits that I had. You are a mentor.”
