On June 6, 2016, Roncevert Almond, a partner at TWG, was admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. Article III of the U.S. Constitution grants the Court original jurisdiction in “all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a state shall be a party” and appellate jurisdiction over all other cases. Since its establishment under the U.S. Constitution and particularly following Marbury v. Madison (1803), when Chief Justice John Marshall first articulated the principle of “judicial review” – the power of federal courts to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional and, therefore, void – the Court has played a pivotal role as a separate but equal branch of government.
Mr. Almond was admitted before the entire bench of the Court: Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Justice Anthony Kennedy, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Justice Elena Kagan. Chief Justice Roberts granted Mr. Almond’s application for admission and administered the oath. “It was an incredible honor and privilege to swear fidelity to the Constitution and become an officer of the Supreme Court,” said Mr. Almond, “Congressman John Duncan, who was seated by me in the Court and who served as a state judge, joked that he should have never left the judicial branch!” At a private reception following the proceedings, Justice Ginsberg and Justice Alito offered insights into the workings of the Court. Mr. Almond later commented, “I was deeply impressed by the subtle wisdom of Justice Ginsberg and the important observation of Justice Alito that each justice serves as an independent authority on the bench, a framework that James Madison, the architect of our Constitution, would appreciate.”
During a lecture held by the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society, Justice Breyer explained the increasing influence of international and foreign law to the Court’s constitutional analysis, a topic he has pursued in his new book, “The Court and the World.” TWG is on the front line of this issue given its international practice dedicated to assisting clients, from government authorities to private entities, with achieving compliance with international and U.S. law. According to Mr. Almond, the Court’s acknowledgment of the global legal landscape dates back to the birth of the Republic: “In preparing to draft the Constitution, Mr. Madison conducted a comparative law analysis of foreign precedent to identify principles of good governance and democracy.”
Mr. Almond has recently authored a published article concerning the Fourth Amendment and the Court’s “closely-regulated industry” exception to the constitutional warrant requirement related to reasonable searches and seizures. U.S. federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration, rely on this exception for authority when implementing their regulatory enforcement schemes. Mr. Almond noted that in City of Los Angeles v. Patel (2015) the Court revisited the scope of this doctrine, after nearly three decades of silence, proving that the Constitution and Bill of Rights remain living documents and incredibly important to the daily activities of TWG’s clients. For more information, please contact Mr. Almond at ralmond@wicks-group.com or (202) 457-7790.