Aquinas Fellowship

The Aquinas Fellowship is a program for young lawyers that examines the relationship between the Catholic intellectual tradition and American constitutionalism. Ideal candidates are in the first decade of their legal careers. The program consists of eight monthly seminar-like discussions hosted at D.C.-area restaurants and features important scholars who lead the conversations. It meets from September through April of each year.

Topics covered include:

The nature of the common good
The relationship between positive and natural law
The role of the natural law in American constitutional law.

Fellows are expected to do a modest amount of reading in preparation for each session.

Update

CIT is currently accepting applications for the Aquinas Fellowship and will continue to do so through June 30, 2024. Please email a resume, statement of interest, and list of references to law-cit@cua.edu. There is no need to submit letters of recommendation; the Fellowship will contact the listed references if necessary. The statement of interest should be no more than one page long, single-spaced, and it should address why the applicant is interested in learning more about the Catholic intellectual tradition and what knowledge and/or experience the applicant will bring to the Fellowship discussions that would make a valuable contribution. Applicants will be notified of whether they have been accepted into the Fellowship in July or early August.

2023-2024 Aquinas Fellows

Aaron Haviland

Aaron Haviland is an associate at Sidley Austin LLP. He previously served as a law clerk for Chief Judge William H. Pryor, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and for Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Haviland is a graduate of Yale Law School. Prior to law school, Mr. Haviland served in the United States Marine Corps, leaving active duty with the rank of Captain. He received a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and earned his undergraduate degree with Distinction from the United States Naval Academy.

Andrew Ebrahem

Andrew Ebrahem previously served as a law clerk for Judge Allison J. Rushing of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for Judge John B. Nalbandian of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Mr. Ebrahem is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was awarded the Order of the Coif and was the Articles Editor for the Virginia Law Review. He also earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia with High Distinction and was awarded the B.J. Diggs Award for the most outstanding thesis in his class.

Bijan Aboutorabi

Bijan Aboutorabi recently completed his service as a law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas on the U.S. Supreme Court. He previously served as a law clerk for Judge James L. Mitchell of the Supreme Court of Alabama, Judge Amul R. Thapar of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and Chief Judge Wiliam H. Pryor, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Mr. Aboutorabi has also worked as an associate at Consovoy McCarthy PLLC. He graduated from the University of Chicago Law School, where he served on the University of Chicago Law Review, earning his degree with Highest Honors and the Order of the Coif. He received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Yale University.

Blake Lanning

Blake Lanning is an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He previously served as a law clerk for Judge Stanley Marcus of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He has also served as Special Assistant to Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia and as Counsel to U.S. Senator Mike Lee. Mr. Lanning graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was Articles Editor for the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. He earned his undergraduate degree with Highest Distinction from Indiana University.

C’Zar Bernstein

C’Zar Bernstein is an associate at Consovoy McCarthy PLLC. He previously served as a law clerk for Chief Judge William H. Pryor, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and for Judge Gregory E. Maggs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He graduated with High Honors from The George Washington University Law School, where he was awarded the Order of the Coif and served as an editor on the George Washington Law Review. He received a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Oxford and earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from The Florida State University.

Catherine Cole

Catherine Cole is a law clerk for Judge Dabney L. Friedrich of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and will clerk for Justice Brett Kavanaugh of the U.S. Supreme Court in October Term 2025. She previously clerked for Chief Judge William H. Pryor, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was Managing Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. She earned her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Boston College.

Christopher Pagliarella

Christopher Pagliarella recently completed his service as a law clerk for Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., on the U.S. Supreme Court. He previously served as a law clerk for Judge Thomas M. Hardiman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He has worked as Counsel at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and as an associate at Jones Day. Mr. Pagliarella has also served as a Visiting Clinical Lecturer at Yale Law School. He graduated from Yale Law School, where he was an Editor for the Yale Law Journal and as a Managing Editor for the Yale Law and Policy Review. He earned his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Yale College.

Dan Vitagliano

Dan Vitagliano is an associate at Consovoy McCarthy PLLC. Previously, he was a Constitutional Law Fellow at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Mr. Vitagliano served as a law clerk to Judge Kyle Duncan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and to Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He graduated summa cum laude from St. John’s University School of Law, where he was Associate Managing Editor of St. John’s Law Review & Journal of Catholic Legal Studies. Mr. Vitagliano received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from the University of Rhode Island.

Ed Powell

Edward Powell is a senior associate at WilmerHale. He was previously an associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, PC. He served as a law clerk for Judge Gerald B. Tjoflat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He graduated magna cum laude from Duke University School of Law, where he was Articles and Commentaries Editor for the Duke Journal of Constitutional Law and Public Policy and Staff Editor for the Duke Law and Technology Review. Mr. Powell received his master’s degree with merit from the Imperial College London and his undergraduate degree with General Honors from the University of Chicago.

Kaitlyn Barry

Kaitlyn Barry is a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice. She previously served as a law clerk for Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and for Judge Ron Clark of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Texas. Ms. Barry graduated cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center, where she was Executive Editor for the Houston Business and Tax Law Journal. She received her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin.

Robert Smith

Robert Smith is Senior Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. He previously worked as a managing associate at Sidley Austin LLP. He also served as Special Counsel to the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary and as a law clerk for Judge Eric E. Murphy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was awarded the Thomas Marshall Miller Prize and served as Submissions Editor for The Journal of Law & Politics. He received his undergraduate degree cum laude from Dartmouth College.

Ryan Proctor

Ryan Proctor is an associate at Jones Day and will clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court in October Term 2024. He previously served as a law clerk for Judge Gregory G. Katsas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for Judge Joan L. Larsen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Mr. Proctor graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. He earned a master’s degree from Yale University and his undergraduate cum laude from Yale University.

Tim Borgerson

Tim Borgerson is a law clerk for Judge Trevor N. McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He previously served as a law clerk for Judge Daniel A. Bress of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Borgerson graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame Law School, where he received the Col. William J. Hoynes Award and was Managing Notes Editor for Notre Dame Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University.

Ugonna Eze

Ugonna Eze is a law clerk for Judge Carl J. Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Previously, he was an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell and served as a law clerk for Judge Steven J. Menashi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Eze graduated from The University of Chicago Law School and received his undergraduate degree from Yale College, where he was Co-Founder and Editor for the Yale Journal for Political Thought.

William Turner

William Turner is an associate at Wiley Rein LLP. He previously served as a law clerk for Judge Barbara Lagoa of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and for Judge Michael T. Liburdi of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Mr. Turner graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Central Oklahoma.

2022-2023 Aquinas Fellows

Justin Aimonetti

Justin Aimonetti is an associate at Dechert LLP. He previously served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and to Judge Carl J. Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He is a graduate of The University of Virginia School of Law, where he was awarded the Order of the Coif and served as Articles Editor for the Virginia Law Review. Mr. Aimonetti received a master’s degree in legal history from the University of Virginia and earned his undergraduate degree cum laude from Columbia University.

Danny Bagley

Danny Bagley is a First Year Lawyer Fellow at Alliance Defending Freedom. He will serve as a law clerk to Judge Edward Meyers on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims starting in the fall of 2023. Mr. Bagley graduated magna cum laude from The Catholic Univerisity of America Columbus School of Law and received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Libby Baird

Libby Baird recently completed her service as a law clerk to Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the U.S. Supreme Court. She previously served as a law clerk to Judge Kevin C. Newsom on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and to Judge Trevor N. McFadden on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was awarded the Order of the Coif and served as Articles Editor for the Virginia Law Review. Mrs. Baird received her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from the University of Arizona.

Tiffany Bates

Tiffany Bates is an associate at Consovoy McCarthy. She previously served as a law clerk to Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and as a legal policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation. She is a graduate of the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, where she was the managing editor for the George Mason Law Review. Ms. Bates received her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Hillsdale College.

Rishabh Bhandari

Rishabh Bhandari is a law clerk to Judge Gregory G. Katsas on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and will clerk for Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., on the U.S. Supreme Court in October Term 2023. He previously served as a law clerk to Judge Amul Thapar on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Mr. Bhandari is a graduate of Yale Law School, where he was Features & Book Reviews Editor for the Yale Law Journal. He earned an M. Phil in international relations from Oxford University and his undergraduate degree from Yale University.

Patrick Butler

Patrick Butler is an associate at Kirkland & Ellis. He previously served as a law clerk to Judge Michael B. Brennan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and to Judge James C. Dever, III, on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Mr. Butler graduated magna cum laude from Duke University School of Law, where he was awarded the Order of the Coif and served as Executive Editor for the Duke Law Journal. He received a master’s degree in international relations with First Class Honors from University College Dublin and earned his undergraduate degree cum laude from the University of Notre Dame.

Aly Cox

Aly Cox is a law clerk to Judge Carl J. Nichols on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She previously served as a law clerk to Judge William H. Pryor, Jr., on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She graduated summa cum laude from Notre Dame Law School, where she was Managing Articles Editor for Notre Dame Law Review, and she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Josh Divine

Josh Divine is Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Josh Hawley. He previously served as a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas on the U.S. Supreme Court and to Judge William H. Pryor, Jr., on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Mr. Divine has also served as Deputy Solicitor General for the State of Missouri. He is a graduate of Yale Law School, where he was a Senior Editor for the Yale Law Journal, and he received his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from the University of Northern Colorado.

Joe Falvey

Joe Falvey is an associate at Jones Day. He previously served as a law clerk to Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., on the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Thomas B. Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Mr. Falvey was Special Counsel for the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an infantry officer from 2009 to 2014. Mr. Falvey is a graduate of Yale Law School, where he was Notes Editor for the Yale Law Journal, and he received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Notre Dame.

Kate Hardiman Rhodes

Kate Hardiman Rhodes is a law clerk to Judge Trevor N. McFadden on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and will clerk for Judge Gregory G. Katsas on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in the fall of 2024. She graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was Senior Staff Editor for Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy, and she received her undergraduate degree summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Notre Dame.

Alexander Hoffarth

Alexander Hoffarth is an associate at Hogan Lovells. He previously served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Diane S. Sykes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Mr. Hoffarth is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was awarded the Order of the Coif and served on the Editorial Board for the Virginia Law Review. He received his M.B.A. from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Boston College.

Thomas Hopson

Thomas Hopson is an associate at Jones Day and will clerk for Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh on the U.S. Supreme Court in October Term 2023. He previously served as a law clerk to Judge Gregory G. Katsas on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and to Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He is a graduate of Yale Law School, where he served as Notes & Comments Editor for the Yale Law Journal, and he received his undergraduate degree summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale College.

Anna Cecile Pepper

Anna Cecile Pepper is an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell and will clerk for Judge William H. Pryor, Jr., on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in the fall of 2024. She previously served as a law clerk to Judge John B. Nalbandian on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She is a graduate of The University of Virginia School of Law, where she was awarded the Order of the Coif and served as Notes Development Editor for the Virginia Law Review. She graduated magna cum laude from The University of Louisville.

Justin M. Romeo

Justin M. Romeo is an associate at Dechert LLP. He previously served as a law clerk to Chief Judge D. Brooks Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and to Judge Danny C. Reeves on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He also worked as a judicial assistant to Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., on the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Romeo is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, where he was Senior Staff for the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy, and he received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh.

Michael Showalter

Michael Showalter is an associate at Kirkland & Ellis. He previously worked as an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Diane S. Sykes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and to Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Mr. Showalter is a graduate of Yale Law School, where he was Comments Editor for the Yale Law Journal, and he received his undergraduate degree with Highest Distinction and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan.

*Biographies accurate as of September 2022