ohio state law personal statement

How to Write a Compelling Personal Statement for Ohio State University Moritz College of Law

Learn how to craft a powerful personal statement that will impress the admissions committee at Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

Posted May 12, 2023

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Applying to law school can be a daunting and stressful process. One of the most important components of your application is your personal statement. A well-crafted personal statement can set you apart from other applicants and convince the admissions committee that you are the right fit for their program.

Why a Strong Personal Statement is Critical for Admission to Ohio State University Moritz College of Law

Ohio State University Moritz College of Law is a highly competitive law school. The admissions committee receives thousands of applications each year, and they have a limited number of spots available in their program. Your personal statement is your chance to show the admissions committee who you are as a person and a potential law student.

A strong personal statement can demonstrate your writing skills, your critical thinking abilities, your passion for the law, and your unique perspective. It can also explain any weaknesses or challenges in your application, such as a lower GPA or LSAT score.

Furthermore, a well-crafted personal statement can also showcase your relevant experiences and achievements that make you a strong candidate for the program. This can include internships, volunteer work, or leadership roles that demonstrate your commitment to the legal field and your potential to succeed in law school.

Additionally, a personal statement can provide insight into your future goals and aspirations as a lawyer. Admissions committees want to see that you have a clear understanding of your career path and how a law degree from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law can help you achieve those goals.

Understanding the Purpose and Content of a Personal Statement for Law School

A personal statement is a narrative essay that tells the story of who you are as a person and a potential law student. It should showcase your strengths and abilities, while also addressing any weaknesses or challenges in your application. It should be well-written, engaging, and authentic.

Your personal statement should also explain your motivation for pursuing a law degree, your career goals, and how Moritz College of Law fits into those goals. It should demonstrate why you are a good fit for their program and what you can contribute to the legal community.

Additionally, it is important to highlight any relevant experiences or accomplishments that have prepared you for a career in law. This could include internships, volunteer work, or leadership positions in organizations related to law or social justice. It is also important to address any unique perspectives or backgrounds that you bring to the table, as diversity and inclusion are highly valued in the legal profession.

Analyzing the Moritz College of Law's Personal Statement Prompt and Requirements

The Moritz College of Law provides a specific prompt and requirements for their personal statement. It is important to carefully read and analyze these instructions before you begin writing, as they can provide valuable guidance and help you avoid common mistakes.

The Moritz personal statement prompt asks applicants to "describe how your background and experiences have led you to pursue a degree in law. In doing so, please address any gaps or weaknesses in your record." The prompt also includes a recommended length of 2-3 pages, and asks for double-spaced, 12-point font.

It is important to note that the Moritz College of Law also emphasizes the importance of authenticity and individuality in their personal statement prompt. They encourage applicants to share their unique perspectives and experiences, and to avoid simply rehashing their resume or academic achievements. This means that applicants should focus on telling a compelling story that showcases their personal growth and development, and how this has led them to pursue a career in law.

Crafting Your Story: Tips for Brainstorming and Outlining Your Personal Statement

Before you begin writing your personal statement, it is important to reflect on your experiences, values, and goals. You should brainstorm ideas and make a list of key points you want to include in your essay. You can also use a graphic organizer or outline to help organize your thoughts.

When crafting your story, it is important to focus on specific examples and details. Avoid generalizations and cliché statements. You should also consider the tone and voice of your essay. Your personal statement should be professional and formal, but also reflect your personality and style.

Another important aspect to consider when writing your personal statement is to tailor it to the specific program or institution you are applying to. Research the program and its values, and highlight how your experiences and goals align with them. This will show the admissions committee that you have a genuine interest in the program and have put effort into your application.

How to Make a Good First Impression: Writing an Engaging Introduction for Your Personal Statement

Your introduction is the first impression that the admissions committee will have of you and your personal statement. It should be engaging, unique, and memorable. You can use a hook or anecdote to draw the reader in, or start with a strong thesis statement that summarizes your main points.

Keep in mind that the admissions committee may be reading hundreds or even thousands of personal statements, so it is important to make yours stand out from the crowd.

One way to make your personal statement introduction stand out is to personalize it. Avoid using generic statements or cliches, and instead, share a personal story or experience that has shaped your academic or career goals. This will not only make your introduction more memorable, but it will also give the admissions committee a glimpse into your unique perspective and personality.

Showcasing Your Strengths: Highlighting Relevant Experiences and Achievements in Your Personal Statement

Your personal statement should highlight your strengths and achievements. This can include academic honors, leadership roles, volunteer work, internships, or other experiences that demonstrate your skills and abilities.

When discussing your experiences, it is important to focus on their relevance to your goals and the legal field. You should also use specific examples and details to illustrate your points.

Additionally, it is important to showcase how your experiences have shaped your perspective and influenced your decision to pursue a career in law. This can include discussing any challenges you have faced and how you overcame them, or how a particular experience sparked your interest in a specific area of law.

Addressing Weaknesses and Challenges in Your Personal Statement: Dos and Don'ts

If you have any weaknesses or challenges in your application, such as a lower GPA or LSAT score, your personal statement is the place to address them. However, it is important to do so in a professional and positive manner.

Do acknowledge the weakness or challenge, but focus on what you learned or how you overcame it. Don't make excuses or blame others for your shortcomings.

Additionally, it is important to show how you have grown and developed as a result of facing these challenges. Admissions committees want to see that you have the ability to overcome obstacles and learn from your experiences. Use specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate your growth and development.

Finding Your Voice: Tips for Writing in a Clear, Concise, and Authentic Style

Your personal statement should be written in a clear, concise, and authentic style. Avoid using overly complex language or jargon, and stay true to your own voice and personality. You should also proofread and edit your essay carefully to avoid errors and typos.

If you are struggling with your writing, you can consider working with a tutor or coach, or asking a trusted friend or family member to review your essay.

Another helpful tip for finding your voice in writing is to read widely and often. By exposing yourself to different styles and genres, you can develop a better understanding of what works and what doesn't in writing. Additionally, taking breaks and stepping away from your writing can help you gain perspective and come back to your work with fresh eyes.

Getting Feedback on Your Personal Statement: How to Choose the Right Reviewer(s)

Before submitting your personal statement, it is important to get feedback from others. However, you should choose your reviewers carefully, as not all feedback is created equal.

You should look for reviewers who are familiar with the law school application process and can provide constructive criticism and support. You can also consider working with a professional editor or proofreader.

Another important factor to consider when choosing a reviewer is their familiarity with your personal background and experiences. Reviewers who know you well can provide more personalized feedback and help you highlight your unique strengths and qualities in your personal statement.

It is also important to keep in mind that while feedback can be helpful, ultimately the personal statement should reflect your own voice and style. Be open to suggestions and critiques, but also trust your own instincts and writing abilities.

Submitting a Strong Application Package: The Role of the Personal Statement

Your personal statement is just one component of your law school application package. You should also focus on other factors such as your academic record, test scores, letters of recommendation, and any additional essays or statements required by the school.

However, your personal statement can play a critical role in helping you stand out from other applicants and convincing the admissions committee to offer you a spot in their program. By following the tips and guidelines outlined in this article, you can craft a compelling and effective personal statement that showcases your strengths and potential as a law student.

One important aspect to keep in mind when writing your personal statement is to avoid cliches and generic statements. Admissions committees read hundreds of personal statements, and they can quickly spot a formulaic essay that lacks originality and personality. Instead, try to tell a unique story that highlights your experiences, values, and goals. Use concrete examples and vivid language to bring your story to life and make it memorable.

Another key factor to consider is the tone and style of your personal statement. While you want to showcase your writing skills and intellectual abilities, you should also aim to strike a balance between confidence and humility. Avoid sounding arrogant or entitled, but also don't downplay your achievements or potential. Show that you are passionate about law and committed to pursuing a legal career, but also acknowledge your limitations and areas for growth.

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The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law

The information on this page was provided by the law school.

Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs

The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law is an integral part of one of the world’s great educational institutions. Founded in 1891 and consistently the top-ranked law school in the State of Ohio, the Moritz College of Law has grown into one of the nation’s pre-eminent public law schools and one of the most respected law schools in the world.

A collegial community of approximately 570 students and more than 50 faculty members, Moritz is known for its rigorous academic program, the pioneering research of its world-class faculty, a deep commitment to teaching and professional training, and the development of future leaders.

The college’s more than 11,000 alumni are central to its national reputation. Graduates include justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio, federal appeals and district court judges, U.S. senators, U.S. representatives, governors, managing partners in law firms of all sizes, chief executive officers of Fortune 500 corporations, professors at law schools across the country, and prominent attorneys in private practice, government service, and public interest law firms.

The JD Program

Our programs are designed to give you meaningful learning experiences that will reinforce lessons inside the classroom, deepen your interests, allow you to connect with your peers, and provide you with the tools you need to excel beyond the classrooms of Drinko Hall. As one of the nation’s premier public law schools, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law offers a stimulating, diverse community that ignites and supports the passionate pursuit of students’ interests inside and outside of the classroom.

Clinical Opportunities

With origins dating back to 1935, Ohio State was an early pioneer in clinical legal education.  Faculty members of the College have long recognized that problem-solving, factual investigation, counseling, negotiation, mediation, transactional, and litigation skills are best learned by combining the practice of law with classroom education. In the College’s clinical courses, J.D. students represent diverse clients and conduct in-depth legal work, accompanied by an intensive academic experience in the classroom.

Clinic students work closely with faculty who provide expertise in the theory and practice of a particular area of law and help students navigate a hands-on legal experience. Students benefit from an average ratio of one faculty member to eight students, offering a level of learning possible only through close supervision and collaboration.

Clinics are a critical component to developing key and foundational lawyering skills and the formation of a professional identity. Alumni regularly rate clinical courses as their most rewarding and valuable law school experiences.

Student Life

Columbus, oh.

Columbus is a thriving and diverse metropolis, positioning Moritz perfectly to give you a vibrant law school experience that extends beyond the classroom. The 14th largest city in the United States is the perfect setting for the next big chapter in your story. Columbus holds the distinction as Ohio’s capital and its largest city, ahead of both Cleveland and Cincinnati. Ohio is home to 25 Fortune 500 companies, with five headquartered in Columbus: Nationwide Insurance, Cardinal Health, American Electric Power, L Brands, and Big Lots.

Student Organizations

Students are encouraged to take part in one or more of the Moritz College of Law’s many student organizations and committees. Through involvement, students develop both personally and professionally and become acquainted with students in other sections and in other classes at Moritz, as well as with students and faculty who have common interests and backgrounds. Student organizations range from those that emphasize public interest advocacy and professional development to those that serve the particular interests of the members.

Career Placement and Bar Passage

A Moritz law degree provides many opportunities and every year our graduates obtain positions in a broad array of job sectors, including traditional law firm practice, government and public interest, academia, and business. Our career services team helps students achieve their goals during and after law school through individualized self- assessment, identifying appropriate legal career options, providing training in job search skills and offering many sources of employment opportunities.

For the 2021 calendar year on the Ohio Bar Exam among first-time takers (February and July), Ohio State Law posted a 92% passage rate (130 of 142). Ohio State’s pass rate among all takers for the July 2021 exam was 91% 

Tuition and Aid

The decision to attend law school is, in part, a decision to invest in one’s future. As with any investment, we advise that you seek financial guidance and make informed decision about debt load. The Moritz College of Law’s financial aid philosophy reflects the desire to provide meaningful financial assistance to a broad range of students including through who are likely to excel in their legal studies, who have a record of community/public service, who will contribute to the diversity of the student body, who have demonstrated potential for leadership, or have a significant financial need.

Most of our students pay for law school by drawing from some combination of funding sources: scholarships and grants from the Moritz College of Law and the university; loans, facilitated by Moritz, from the federal government and private lenders; part-time employment during the academic year and summers; and personal and family savings.

Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers

Law school is the most intellectually challenging and rewarding period of one’s educational career. The Moritz College of Law curriculum is intense, and our students are serious about their studies. We look not only for those who have a record of academic accomplishment but those who have the capacity to thrive in a rigorous learning environment such as ours. We consider each application holistically, and there is no single profile most suitable for admission.  Instead of looking for an “ideal” candidate, we invite applicants who bring a variety of skills, accomplishments, and aspirations to contribute to our dynamic community.

The Admissions Office evaluates a variety of factors when considering applicants for admission: academic potential, personal experience and goals, and personal qualities and characteristics. Every part of the application matters. In the end our goal is to find the students who are the best fit and who we can help to become outstanding lawyers and leaders.

Admitted Applicant Profile

25-75% ugpa range at ohio state:.

3.57 to 3.95

25-75% LSAT Score Range at Ohio State:

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How to write a law school personal statement + examples.

Reviewed by:

David Merson

Former Head of Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University, & Admissions Officer, Brown University

Reviewed: 3/18/24

Law school personal statements help show admissions committees why you’re an excellent candidate. Read on to learn how to write a personal statement for law school!

Writing a law school personal statement requires time, effort, and a lot of revision. Law school statement prompts and purposes can vary slightly depending on the school. 

Their purpose could be to show your personality, describe your motivation for attending law school, explain why you want to go to a particular law school, or a mix of all three and more. This guide will help you perfect your writing with tips and examples.

The Best Law School Personal Statement Format

Unfortunately, there’s no universal format for a law school personal statement. Every law school has a preference (or lack thereof) on how your personal statement should be structured. We recommend always checking for personal statement directions for every school you want to apply to. 

However, many law schools ask for similar elements when it comes to personal statement formats. These are some standard formatting elements to keep in mind if your school doesn’t provide specific instructions: 

• Typically two pages or less in length 
• Double-spaced 
• Use a basic, readable font style and size (11-point is the smallest you should do, although some schools may request 12-point) 
• Margins shouldn’t be less than 1 inch unless otherwise specified 
• Left-aligned 
• Indent new paragraphs 
• Don’t return twice to begin a new paragraph 
• Law schools typically ask for a header, typically including your full name, page number, LSAC number, and the words “Personal Statement” (although there can be variations to this) 

How you format your header may be up to you; sometimes, law schools won't specify whether the header should be one line across the top or three lines. 

This is how your header may look if you decide to keep it as one line. If you want a three-line header, it should look like this on the top-right of the page: 

 Remember, the best law school personal statement format is the one in the application instructions. Ensure you follow all formatting requirements!

How to Title a Personal Statement (Law) 

You may be tempted to give your law school statement a punchy title, just like you would for an academic essay. However, the general rule is that you shouldn’t give your law school personal statement a title. 

The University of Washington states, “DON’T use quotes or give a title to your statement.” Many other schools echo this advice. The bottom line is that although you're writing your story, your law school statement doesn't require a title. Don't add one unless the school requests it.

How to Start a Personal Statement for Law School 

Acing the beginning of your personal statement is essential for your narrative’s success. The introduction is your chance to captivate the admissions committee and immerse them in your story. As such, you want your writing to be interesting enough to grab their attention without purposefully going for shock value.

So, how do you write a personal statement introduction that will garner the attention it deserves? The simplest way to get the reader involved in your story is to start with a relevant anecdote that ties in with your narrative. 

Consider the opening paragraph from Harvard Law graduate Cameron Clark’s law school personal statement : 

“At the intersection of 21st and Speedway, I lay on the open road. My leg grazed the shoulder of a young woman lying on the ground next to me. Next to her, a man on his stomach slowed his breathing to appear as still as possible. A wide circle of onlookers formed around the dozens of us on the street. We were silent and motionless, but the black-and-white signs affirmed our existence through their decree: BLACK LIVES MATTER.”

The beginning lines of this personal statement immediately draw the reader in. Why was the writer lying on the road? Why were other people there with him, and why was a man trying to slow his breathing? We're automatically inspired to keep reading to find out more information. 

That desire to keep reading is the hallmark of a masterful personal statement introduction. However, you don’t want to leave your reader hanging for too long. By the end of this introduction, we’re left with a partial understanding of what’s happening. 

There are other ways to start a personal statement that doesn't drop the reader in the middle of the action. Some writers may begin their law personal statement in other ways: 

• Referencing a distant memory, thought, feeling, or perspective
• Setting the scene for the opening anecdote before jumping in 
• Providing more context on the time, place, or background 

Many openings can blend some of these with detailed, vivid imagery. Here's a law school personal statement opening that worked at the UChicago Law : 

“I fell in love for the first time when I was four. That was the year my mother signed me up for piano lessons. I can still remember touching those bright, ivory keys with reverence, feeling happy and excited that soon I would be playing those tinkling, familiar melodies (which my mother played every day on our boombox) myself.”

This opening references a distant memory and feeling, mixed with vivid imagery that paints a picture in the reader's head. Keep in mind that different openers can work better than others, depending on the law school prompt. 

To recap, consider these elements as you write your law school personal statement’s introduction: 

• Aim for an attention-grabbing hook 
• Don’t purposefully aim for shock value: it can sometimes seem unauthentic 
• Use adjectives and imagery to paint a scene for your reader 
• Identify which opening method works best for the law school prompt and your story
• Don’t leave the reader hanging for too long to find out what your narrative is about
• Be concise 

Writing a law school personal statement introduction can be difficult, but these examples and tips can help you get the attention your writing deserves.

How to Write a Law School Personal Statement

Now that you’re equipped with great advice and tips to start your law school statement, it’s time to tackle the body of your essay. These tips will show you how to write a personal statement for law school to captivate the admissions committee. 

Understand the Prompt

While many law schools have similar personal statement prompts, you should carefully examine what's being asked of you before diving in. Consider these top law school personal statement prompts to see what we mean: 

• Yale Law School : “The personal statement should help us learn about the personal, professional, and/or academic qualities an applicant would bring to the Law School community. Applicants often submit the personal statement they have prepared for other law school applications.”
• University of Chicago Law : “Our application does not provide a specific topic or question for the personal statement because you are the best judge of what you should write. Write about something personal, relevant, and completely individual to you.”
• NYU Law : “Because people and their interests vary, we leave the content and length of your statement to your discretion. You may wish to complete or clarify your responses to items on the application form, bring to our attention additional information you feel should be considered, describe important or unusual aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, or tell us what led you to apply to NYU School of Law.”

Like all law personal statements, these three prompts are pretty open-ended. However, your Yale personal statement should focus on how you’d contribute to a law school community through professional and academic experience and qualities. 

For UChicago Law, you don’t even need to write about a law-related topic if you don’t want to. However, when it comes to a school like NYU Law , you probably want to mix your qualities, experiences, and what led you to apply. 

Differing prompts are the reason you’ll need to create multiple copies of your personal statement! 

Follow Formatting Directions 

Pay extra attention to each school's formatting directions. While we've discussed basic guidelines for law school personal statement formats, it's essential to check if there is anything different you need to do. 

While working on your rough drafts, copy and paste the prompt and directions at the top of the page so you don't forget. 

Brainstorm Narratives/Anecdotes Based on the Prompt

You may have more wiggle room with some prompts than others regarding content. However, asking yourself these questions can generally help you direct your personal statement for any law school:

• What major personal challenges or recent hardships have you faced? 
• What was one transformative event that impacted your life’s course or perspective? 
• What are your hobbies or special interests? 
• What achievements are you most proud of that aren’t stated in your application? 
• What experience or event changed your values or way of thinking? 
• What’s something you’re passionate about that you got involved in? What was the result of your passion? 
• How did your distinct upbringing, background, or culture put you on the path to law school? 
• What personal or professional experiences show who you are? 

Keep in mind that this isn't an exhaustive list. Consider your personal and professional experiences that have brought you to this point, and determine which answers would make the most compelling story. 

Pettit College of Law recommends you "go through your transcripts, application, and resume. Are there any gaps or missing details that your personal statement could cover?” If you've listed something on your resume that isn't further discussed, it could make a potential personal statement topic. 

Do More Than Recount: Reflect

Recounting an event in a summarized way is only one piece of your law school personal statement. Even if you’re telling an outlandish or objectively interesting story, stopping there doesn’t show admissions committees what they need to know to judge your candidacy. 

The University of Washington suggests that “describing the event should only be about 1/3 of your essay. The rest should be a reflection on how it changed you and how it shaped the person you are today.” Don’t get stuck in the tangible details of your anecdote; show what the experience meant to you. 

Beth O'Neil , Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at UC Berkeley School of Law , said, "Applicants also tend to state and not evaluate. They give a recitation of their experience but no evaluation of what effect that particular experience had on them, no assessment of what certain experiences or honors meant." 

Consider What Qualities You Want to Show

No matter what direction you want to take your law school personal statement, you should consider which qualities your narrative puts on display. Weaving your good character into your essay can be difficult. Outwardly claiming, "I'm a great leader!" doesn't add much value. 

However, telling a story about a time you rose to the occasion to lead a group successfully toward a common goal shows strong leadership. "Show, don't tell" may be an overused statement, but it's a popular sentiment for a reason. 

Of course, leadership ability isn't the only quality admissions committees seek. Consider the qualities you possess and those you'd expect to find in a great lawyer and check to see the overlap. Some qualities you could show include: 

• Intelligence 
• Persuasiveness 
• Compassion 
• Professionalism 

Evaluate the anecdotes you chose after your brainstorming session and see if any of these qualities or others align with your narrative. 

Keep Your Writing Concise

Learning how to write a personal statement for law school means understanding how to write for concision. Most prompts won't have a word limit but ask you to cap your story at two pages, double-spaced. Unfortunately, that's not a lot of space to work with. 

Although your writing should be compelling and vibrant, do your best to avoid flowery language and long, complicated sentences where they’re not needed. Writing for concision means eliminating unnecessary words, cutting down sentences, and getting the point quickly.  

Georgetown University’s take on law school personal statements is to “Keep it simple and brief. Big words do not denote big minds, just big egos.” A straightforward narrative means your reader is much less likely to be confused or get lost in your story (in the wrong way). 

Decide the Depth and Scope of Your Statement 

Since you only have two (or even three) pages to get your point across, you must consider the depth and scope of your narrative. While you don’t want to provide too little information, remember that you don’t have the room to summarize your entire life story (and you don’t have to do that anyway). 

UChicago Law’s advice is to “Use your discretion - we know you have to make a choice and have limited space. Attempting to cover too much material can result in an unfocused and scattered personal statement.” Keep the depth and scope of your narrative manageable. 

Ensure It’s Personal Enough 

UChicago Law states, "If someone else could write your personal statement, it probably is not personal enough." This doesn't mean that you must pick the most grandiose, shocking narrative to make an impact or that you can't write about something many others have probably experienced. 

Getting personal means only you can write that statement; other people may be able to relate to an experience, but your reflection, thoughts, feelings, and reactions are your own. UChicago Law sees applicants fall into this pitfall by writing about a social issue or area of law, so tread these topics carefully.

Mix the Past and Present, Present and Future, Or All Three 

Harvard Law School’s Associate Director Nefyn Meissner said your personal statement should “tell us something about who you are, where you’ve been, and where you want to go.” 

Echoing this, Jon Perdue , Yale Law School's Director of Recruiting and Diversity Initiatives, states that the three most common approaches to the Yale Law School personal statement are focusing on: 

• The past: discussing your identity and background 
• The present: focusing on your current work, activities, and interests 
• The future: the type of law you want to pursue and your ideal career path 

Perdue said that truly stellar personal statements have a sense of “movement” and touch on all or two of these topics. What does this mean for you? While writing your law school personal statement, don’t be afraid to touch on your past, present, and future. However, remember not to take on too much content! 

Keep the Focus On You 

This is a common pitfall that students fall into while writing a law school personal statement . UChicago Law cites that this is a common mistake applicants make when they write at length about: 

• A family member who inspired them or their family history 
• Stories about others 
• Social or legal issues 

Even if someone like your grandmother had a profound impact on your decision to pursue law, remember that you’re the star of the show. Meissner said , “Should you talk about your grandmother? Only if doing so helps make the case for us to admit you. Otherwise, we might end up wanting to admit your grandmother.” Don’t let historical figures, your family, or anyone else steal your spotlight. 

Decide If You Need to Answer: Why Law? 

Writing about why you want to attend law school in general or a school in particular depends on the prompt. Some schools welcome the insight, while others (like Harvard Law) don't. Meissner said, “Should you mention you want to come to HLS? We already assume that if you’re applying.”

However, Perdue said your law school personal statement for Yale should answer three questions: 

• Why law school?

Some schools may invite you to discuss your motivation to apply to law school or what particular elements of the school inspired you to apply. 

Don’t List Qualifications or Rehash Your Resume 

Your personal statement should flow like a story, with an identifiable beginning, middle, and end. Simply firing off your honors and awards, or summarizing the experiences on your resume, doesn’t tell the admissions committee anything new about you. 

Your personal statement is your opportunity to show how your unique experiences shaped you, your qualities, and the person you are behind your LSAT scores and GPA. Think about how you can show who you are at your core. 

Avoid Legalese, Jargon, And Sophisticated Terms 

The best law school personal statements are written in straightforward English and don't use overly academic, technical, or literary words. UChicago Law recommends avoiding legalese or 

Latin terms since the "risk you are incorrectly using them is just too high." 

Weaving together intricate sentence structures with words you pulled out of a thesaurus won’t make your personal statement a one-way ticket to acceptance. Be clear, straightforward, and to the point. 

Don’t Put Famous Quotes In Your Writing 

Beginning your law school personal statement with a quote is not only cliche but takes the focus off of you. It also eats up precious space you could fill with your voice. 

Revise, Revise, Revise 

Even the most talented writers never submit a perfect first draft. You'll need to do a lot of revisions before your personal statement is ready for submission. This is especially true because you'll write different versions for different law schools; these iterations must be edited to perfection. 

Ensure you have enough time to make all the edits and improvements you need before you plan to submit your application. Although most law schools have rolling admissions, submitting a perfected application as soon as possible is always in your best interest. 

Have an Admission Consultant Review Your Hard Work 

Reviewing so many personal statements by yourself is a lot of work, and most writing can always benefit from a fresh perspective. Consider seeking a law school admissions consultant’s help to edit your personal statements to perfection and maximize your chances of acceptance at your dream school!

How to End Your Personal Statement for Law School 

Law school personal statement conclusions are just as open-ended as your introductions. There are a few options for ending a personal statement depending on the prompt you’re writing for:

Some of these methods can overlap with each other. However, there are two more things you should always consider when you're ready to wrap up your story: the tone you're leaving on and how you can make your writing fit with your narrative's common thread. 

You should never want to leave your reader on a low note, even if you wrote about something that isn’t necessarily happy. You should strive to end your personal statement with a tone that’s hopeful, happy, confident, or some other positive feeling. 

Your last sentences should also give the impression of finality; your reader should understand that you’re wrapping up and not be left wondering where the rest of your statement is. 

So, what's the common thread? This just means that your narrative sticks to the overarching theme or event you portrayed at the beginning of your writing. Bringing your writing full circle makes a more satisfying conclusion.

Personal Statement for Law School Conclusion Examples

Evaluating law school personal statement conclusions can help you see what direction authors decided to take with their writing. Let’s circle back to the sample personal statement openings for law school and examine their respective conclusions. The first example explains the applicant’s motivation to attend Harvard Law. 

Sample Personal Statement for Law School Conclusion #1

“…Attorneys and legal scholars have paved the way for some of the greatest civil rights victories for women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and (people living with disabilities). At Harvard Law School, I will prepare to join their ranks by studying with the nation's leading legal scholars. 

For the past months, I have followed Harvard Law School student responses to the events in Ferguson and New York City. I am eager to join a law school community that shares my passion for using the law to achieve real progress for victims of discrimination. With an extensive history of advocacy for society's most marginalized groups, I believe Harvard Law School will thoroughly train me to support and empower communities in need. 

Our act of civil disobedience that December day ended when the Tower’s bells rang out in two bars, hearkening half-past noon. As we stood up and gathered our belongings, we broke our silence to remind everyone of a most basic truth: Black lives matter.” 

What Makes This Conclusion Effective 

Although Harvard Law School states there's no need to explain why you want to apply, this law school statement is from an HLS graduate, and we can assume this was written before the advice changed. 

In his conclusion, he relates and aligns his values with Harvard Law School and how joining the community will help him fulfill his mission to empower communities in need. The last paragraph circles back to the anecdote described in his introduction, neatly wrapping up the event and signaling a natural end to his story. 

This author used these strategies: the motivation to attend a specific law school, stating his mission, and subtly reiterating what his acceptance would bring to the school. The next example conclusion worked at UChicago Law: 

Sample Personal Statement for Law School Conclusion #2

“Songs can be rewritten and reinterpreted as situation permits, but missteps are obvious because the fundamental laws of music and harmony do not change.

Although my formal music education ended when I entered college, the lessons I have learned over the years have remained close and relevant to my life. I have acquired a lifestyle of discipline and internalized the drive for self-improvement. I have gained an appreciation for the complexities and the subtleties of interpretation. 

I understand the importance of having both a sound foundation and a dedication to constant study. I understand that to possess a passion and personal interest in something, to think for myself is just as important.”

What Made This Conclusion Effective

This law school personal statement was successful at UChicago Law. Although the writing has seemingly nothing to do with law or the author's capability to become a great lawyer, the author has effectively used the "show, don't tell" advice. 

The last paragraph implements the focus on qualities or skills strategy. Although related to music, the qualities they describe that a formal music education taught her mesh with the qualities of a successful lawyer: 

• A drive for self-improvement 
• The ability to interpret information 
• The ability to learn consistently 
• The ability to think for herself 

Overall, this essay does an excellent job of uncovering her personality and relating to the opening paragraph, where she describes how she fell in love with music.

2 Law School Personal Statement Examples From Admitted Students

These are two law school personal statement examples that worked. We'll review the excerpts below and describe what made them effective and if there's room for improvement. 

Law School Personal Statement Example #1

This is an excerpt of a law personal statement that worked at UChicago Law : 

“The turning point of my college football career came early in my third year. At the end of the second practice of the season, in ninety-five-degree heat, our head coach decided to condition the entire team. Sharp, excruciating pain shot down my legs as he summoned us repeatedly to the line to run wind sprints. 

I collapsed as I turned the corner on the final sprint. Muscle spasms spread throughout my body, and I briefly passed out. Severely dehydrated, I was rushed to the hospital and quickly given more than three liters of fluids intravenously. As I rested in a hospital recovery room, I realized my collapse on the field symbolized broader frustrations I felt playing college football.

I was mentally and physically defeated. In South Dakota, I was a dominant football player in high school, but at the Division I level, my talent was less conspicuous. In my first three years, I was convinced that obsessively training my body to run faster and be stronger would earn me a starting position. The conditioning drill that afternoon revealed the futility of my approach. I had thrust my energies into becoming a player I could never be. As a result, I lost confidence in my identity.

I considered other aspects of my life where my intellect, work ethic, and determination had produced positive results. I chose to study economics and English because processing abstract concepts and ideas in diverse disciplines were intuitively rewarding…Gathering data, reviewing previous literature, and ultimately offering my own contribution to economic knowledge was exhilarating. Indeed, undergraduate research affirmed my desire to attend law school, where I could more thoroughly satisfy my intellectual curiosity…My efforts generated high marks and praise from professors, but this success made my disappointment with football more pronounced.

The challenge of collegiate athletics felt insurmountable. However, I reminded myself that at the Division I level, I was able to compete with and against some of the best players in the country…After the hospital visit, my football position coach—sensing my mounting frustrations—offered some advice. Instead of devoting my energies almost exclusively to physical preparation, he said, I should approach college football with the same mental focus I brought to my academic studies. I began to devour scouting reports and to analyze the complex reasoning behind defensive philosophies and schemes. I studied film and discovered ways to anticipate plays from the offense and become a more effective player. Armed with renewed confidence, I finally earned a starting position in the beginning of my fourth year…

‍I had received the highest grade on the team. After three years of A’s in the classroom, I finally earned my first ‘A’ in football. I used mental preparation to maintain my competitive edge for the rest of the season. Through a combination of film study and will power, I led my team and conference in tackles…The most rewarding part of the season, though, was what I learned about myself in the process. When I finally stopped struggling to become the player I thought I needed to be, I developed self-awareness and confidence in the person I was.

The image of me writhing in pain on the practice field sometimes slips back into my thoughts as I decide where to apply to law school. College football taught me to recognize my weaknesses and look for ways to overcome them. I will enter law school a much stronger person and student because of my experiences on the football field and in the classroom. My decision where to attend law school mirrors my decision where to play college football. I want to study law at the University of Chicago Law School because it provides the best combination of professors, students, and resources in the country. In Division I college football, I succeeded when I took advantage of my opportunities. I hope the University of Chicago will give me an opportunity to succeed again.”

Why This Personal Statement Example Worked

The beginning of this personal statement includes vivid imagery and sets up a relevant anecdote for the reader: the writer’s injury while playing football. At the end of the introduction, he sets up a fantastic transition about his broader frustrations, compelling us to keep reading. 

The essay's body shows the writer's vulnerability, making it even more personal; it can be challenging to talk about feelings, like losing your confidence, but it can help us relate to him. 

The author sets up a transition to writing more about his academic ability, his eventual leadership role on the team, and developing the necessary qualities of a well-rounded lawyer: self-awareness and confidence. 

Finally, the author rounds out his statement by circling back to his opening anecdote and showing the progress he’s made from there. He also describes why UChicago Law is the right school for him. To summarize, the author expertly handled: 

• Opening with a descriptive anecdote that doesn’t leave the reader hanging for too long 
• Being vulnerable in such a way that no one else could have written this statement 
• Doing more than recounting an event but reflecting on it 
• Although he introduced his coach's advice, he kept himself the focal point of the story 
• He picked a focused event; the writer didn’t try to tackle too much content 
• His conclusion references his introduction, signalling the natural end of the story 
• The ending also reaffirms his passion for pursuing law, particularly at UChicago Law 

Law School Personal Statement Example #2 

This law school personal statement excerpt led to acceptance at Boston University Law. 

“She sat opposite me at my desk to fill out a few forms. Fumbling her hands and laughing uncomfortably, it was obvious that she was nervous. Sandra was eighteen, and her knowledge of English was limited to “yes” and “hello.” While translating the initial meeting between Sandra and her attorney, I learned of her reasons for leaving El Salvador. She had been in an abusive relationship, and though she wasn’t ready to go into detail just yet, it was clear from the conversation that her boyfriend had terrorized her and that the El Salvadoran police were of no help…Eventually, Sandra was given a credible fear interview. The interviewer believed that she had a real fear of returning to El Salvador, and Sandra was released from detention with an Immigration Court hearing notice in her hand. She had just retained our office to present her asylum case to the Immigration Judge.

I tried to imagine myself in Sandra’s shoes. She hadn’t finished high school, was in a completely new environment, and had almost no understanding of how things worked in the US. Even the harsh New England winter must have seemed unnatural to her. Having lived abroad for a couple of years, I could relate on some level; however, the circumstances of my stay overseas were completely different. I went to Spain after graduating from college to work in an elementary school, improve my Spanish skills, and see a bit of the world…I had to ask hundreds of questions and usually make a few attempts before actually accomplishing my goal. Frustrating though it was, I didn’t have so much riding on each of these endeavors. If I didn’t have all the necessary paperwork to open a bank account one day, I could just try again the next day. Sandra won’t be afforded the same flexibility in her immigration process, where so much depends on the ability to abide by inflexible deadlines and procedures. Without someone to guide her through the process, ensuring that all requirements are met, and presenting her case as persuasively as possible, Sandra will have little chance of achieving legal status in the United States…

Before starting at my current position at Joyce & Associates, an immigration law firm in Boston, I had long considered a career in law. Growing up, I was engaged by family and school debates about public policy and government. In college, I found my constitutional law courses challenging and exciting. Nonetheless, it wasn’t until I began working with clients like Sandra that I became convinced that a career in law is the right choice for me. Playing my part as a legal assistant in various immigration cases, I have been able to witness how a career in immigration advocacy is both intellectually stimulating and personally fulfilling. I have seen the importance of well-articulated arguments and even creativity in arguing a client’s eligibility for an immigration benefit. I have learned that I excel in critical thinking and in examining detail, as I continually consider the consistency and possible implications of any documents that clients provide in support of their application. But most importantly, I have realized how deserving many of these immigrants are. Many of the clients I work with are among the most hardworking and patriotic people I have encountered…

‍I am equally confident that I would thrive as a student at Boston University, where I would be sure to take full advantage of the many opportunities available. The school’s Asylum and Human Rights Clinic and Immigration Detention Clinic would offer me invaluable experiences in various immigration settings…Given my experiences in an immigration firm, I know that I would have much to offer while participating in these programs, but even more to learn. And while I find BU’s immigration programs to be especially appealing, I am equally drawn to the Boston University experience as a whole…I hope to have the opportunity to face those challenges and to contribute my own experiences and drive to the Boston University community.”

This statement makes excellent use of opening with an experience that sets the writer's motivation to attend law school in motion. We're introduced to another person in the story in the introduction before the author swivels and transitions to how she'd imagine herself in Sandra's shoes. 

This transition shows empathy, and although the author could relate to her client's struggles on a more superficial level, she understood the gravity of her situation and the hardships that awaited her. 

The author backpedals to show how she's cultivated an interest in law in college and explored this interest to know it's the right choice for her. The conclusion does an excellent job of referencing exactly how BU Law will help her achieve her mission. To recap, this personal statement was effective because: 

• She started her personal statement with a story 
• Although the writer focuses on an event with another person, she moves the focus back to her 
• The author’s statement shows qualities like empathy, compassion, and critical thinking without explicitly stating it 
• She connects her experiences to her motivation to attend law school 
• This statement has movement: it references the author’s past, present, and future 
• She ends her statement by explaining in detail why BU Law is the right school for her 

Although this personal statement worked, circling back to the opening anecdote in the conclusion, even with a brief sentence, would have made the conclusion more impactful and fortified the common thread of her narrative.

How to Write Personal Statement For Law School: FAQs

Do you still have questions about how to write a personal statement for law school? Read on to learn more. 

1. What Makes a Good Personal Statement for Law School? 

Generally, an excellent personal statement tells a relevant story, showcases your best qualities, is personal, and creatively answers the prompt. Depending on the prompt, a good personal statement may describe your motivation to attend law school or why a school, in particular, is perfect for you. 

2. Should I Write a Separate Personal Statement for Each School? 

Depending on the prompts, you may be able to submit the same or similar personal statements to different schools. However, you’ll likely need more than one version of your statement to apply to different schools. Generally, students will write a few versions of their statements to meet personal statement instructions. 

3. How Long Should My Personal Statement Be? 

Personal statement length requirements vary by school, but you can generally expect to write approximately two pages, double-spaced. 

4. What Should You Not Put In a Law School Personal Statement? 

Your personal statement shouldn’t include famous quotes, overly sophisticated language, statements that may offend others, and unhelpful or inappropriate information about yourself. 

5. What Do I Write My Law School Personal Statement About? 

The answer depends on the prompt you need to answer. Consider your experiences and decide which are impactful, uncover your personality, show your motivation to attend law school, or show your impressive character traits. 

6. Does the Personal Statement Really Matter for Law School? 

Top LSAT scores and high GPAs may not be enough, especially at the T-14 law schools. Due to the high level of competition, you should take advantage of your personal statement to show why you’re an excellent candidate. So yes, they do matter.

Writing A Law School Personal Statement is Easy With Juris

Writing a personal statement can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. Juris Education is committed to helping you learn how to write a law school personal statement with ease. We help future law school students develop their narratives, evaluate writing to ensure it’s in line with what law schools expect, and edit statements to perfection. 

A stellar personal statement helps you stand out and can help you take that last step to attending the law school of your dreams.

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First-year applicants to Ohio State's Columbus campus apply through the Common Application.

Ohio State is a member of the Common Application, an application platform offered by more than 1,000 colleges and universities worldwide.

You can submit the same Common Application to multiple institutions.

Ohio State also requires completion of Ohio State-specific questions (read about them under QUESTIONS TO PREPARE FOR, below).

Create your account

If you haven't done so, create an account for the Common Application. Be mindful of which email address you choose, since Ohio State (and other colleges) will use it to communicate with you. Be sure to use one that you check regularly and you'll have access to after you graduate from high school.

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CLICK FOR QUESTIONS TO PREPARE FOR

Common application questions, writing: personal essay.

Ohio State requires a personal statement essay in response to one of the prompts provided. If you'd like to work on your response before beginning your application, here's a list of this year's essay prompts .

Note: The Common App provides students with an opportunity to share their experience and the impact of community disruptions such as COVID 19 and natural disasters through a dedicated question on the application.

Ohio State-specific questions

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Select "Early Action" if you are applying for autumn semester and plan to meet our November 1 early action deadline. Otherwise, select "Regular Decision."

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Academics: Opportunities beyond the undergraduate level

Ohio State offers pre-professional programs in dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. Identifying your pre-professional interest on the application will enable your advisors to provide you with a wide range of support to realize your goals.

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If you are not admitted to the Columbus campus, you will have the option of starting your Ohio State degree at a regional campus and changing to Columbus later. If you don't select an alternate campus, you will be automatically admitted to one based on your geographic location.

Academics: Honors and Scholars Programs

To be considered, we strongly recommend that you meet our November 1 early action deadline. On the application, indicate interest in the University Honors Program or Ohio State Scholars Program . If you wish to apply for the Stamps Eminence Scholarship Program, you must indicate interest in Honors or Scholars and complete the Eminence Application .

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To be considered, we strongly recommend that you meet our November 1 early action deadline. On the application, indicate interest in the Morrill Scholarship Program and respond to the MSP essay prompt. Be sure to include leadership and diversity involvement under Activities.

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Pre-Law - Writing Personal (and other) Statements

The "Personal Statement" can be one of the most difficult parts of a law school application.  It's your writing sample, your opportunity to make your case to law schools, and your story.  What's genuine?  What's too much or too little?  Where do Diversity Statements fit in?  What about addenda explaining something you've experienced?  Join us for a workshop by two experienced professionals who have read and reviewed thousands of personal (and other) statements in the course of their admission careers. Presenters: - Robin C. Ingli, Assistant Dean of Admissions, University of Minnesota Law School - Maya Crim, Assistant Dean for JD Admissions and Scholarships, Loyola University Chicago School of Law

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After registering you will automatically receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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Here’s why it would be tough for Democrats to replace Joe Biden on the presidential ticket

University of Michigan Presidential Debate Expert Aaron Kall calls President Joe Biden’s uneven debate performance on Thursday night “probably the worst performance of a candidate, certainly an incumbent candidate, ever.”

President Joe Biden speaks at a presidential debate watch party, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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President Joe Biden visits a presidential debate watch party, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden speaks during a presidential debate with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Jill Biden speak at a presidential debate watch party, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden greets supporters at a Waffle House in Marietta, Ga., Friday, June 28, 2024, following a presidential debate in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s halting debate performance has led some in his own party to begin questioning whether he should be replaced on the ballot before November.

The latest on the Biden-Trump debate

• The debate was a critical moment in Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s presidential rematch to make their cases before a national television audience.
• Take a look at the facts around false and misleading claims frequently made by the two candidates.
• Both candidates wasted no time sparring over policy during their 90-minute faceoff. These are the takeaways .

There is no evidence Biden is willing to end his campaign. And it would be nearly impossible for Democrats to replace him unless he chooses to step aside.

Here’s why:

Delegates Biden won in the primaries are pledged to support him

Every state has already held its presidential primary. Democratic rules say that the delegates Biden won should support him at the party’s upcoming national convention unless he tells them he’s leaving the race.

The president indicated that he had no plans to do that, telling supporters in Atlanta shortly after he left the debate stage, “Let’s keep going.” Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt was even clearer, saying Friday: “Of course he’s not dropping out.”

The conventions and their rules are controlled by the political parties. The Democratic National Committee could convene before the convention opens on Aug. 19 and change how things will work, but that isn’t likely as long as Biden wants to continue seeking reelection.

The current rules read: “Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.”

VP Kamala Harris couldn’t automatically replace Biden

The vice president is Biden’s running mate, but that doesn’t mean she can swap in for him at the top of the ticket by default. Biden also can’t decree that she replace him should he suddenly decide to leave the race.

The Democratic National Convention is being held in Chicago, but the party has announced that it will hold a virtual roll call to formally nominate Biden before in-person proceedings begin. The exact date for the roll call has not yet been set.

If Biden opts to abandon his reelection campaign, Harris would likely join other top Democratic candidates looking to replace him. But that would probably create a scenario where she and others end up lobbying individual state delegations at the convention for their support.

That hasn’t happened for Democrats since 1960, when John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson jockeyed for votes during that year’s Democratic convention in Los Angeles.

Other potential Democratic candidates would also face challenges

In addition to the vice president, others that had endorsed Biden in 2024 while harboring their own presidential aspirations for future cycles include California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker and California Rep. Ro Khanna.

Still others who Biden bested during the party’s 2020 presidential primary could also try again, including Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, as well as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

If Biden were to abruptly leave the race, conservative groups have suggested they will file lawsuits around the country, potentially questioning the legality of the Democratic candidate’s name on the ballot.

But Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, who wrote a book about the presidential nominating process and is also a member of the Democratic National Committee’s rulemaking arm, said that courts have consistently stayed out of political primaries as long as parties running them weren’t doing anything that would contradict other constitutional rights, such as voter suppression based on race.

What to know about the 2024 Election

• Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since 2020. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
• AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
• Read the latest: Follow AP’s complete coverage of this year’s election.

“This is very clear constitutionally that this is in the party’s purview,” Kamarck said in an interview before the debate. “The business of nominating someone to represent a political party is the business of the political party.”

Supreme Court throws out multi-billion dollar settlement with Purdue over opioid crisis

Most victims supported the settlement with purdue pharma. but the justice department said courts couldn't shield the sacklers from future lawsuits..

WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court on Thursday upended a high-profile bankruptcy settlement with the company that made oxycontin, toppling an agreement that shielded the family responsible for the drug’s marketing from future damages in exchange for paying $6 billion to victims of the opioid epidemic .

The 5-4 decision had sweeping implications for states, which intend to use settlement money for drug treatment programs, and for the Sackler family, which made its fortune  selling a drug that fueled the nation's opioid epidemic . The ruling may also make it more difficult to resolve other high-profile bankruptcies.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority that if Congress meant to reshape traditional bankruptcy practice so profoundly, it would have said so directly.

“No one has directed us to a statute or case suggesting American courts in the past enjoyed the power in bankruptcy to discharge claims brought by nondebtors against other nondebtors, all without the consent of those affected,” Gorsuch wrote for an opinion that included Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

More: Opioid decision: Two mothers, two deaths, two views of failed $6 billion settlement

But Justice Brett Kavanaugh disagreed, saying the ruling ignored victims of the opioid crisis.

“Today’s decision is wrong on the law and devastating for more than 100,000 opioid victims and their families,” Kavanaugh wrote in dissent for Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

'Heart-crushing'

Purdue Pharma issued a statement calling the decision “heart-crushing,” but said it would continue to work toward a settlement.

“Today’s ruling is heart-crushing because it invalidates a settlement supported by nearly all of our creditors – including states, local governments, personal injury victims, schools, and hospitals – that would have delivered billions of dollars for victim compensation, opioid crisis abatement, and overdose rescue and addiction treatment medicines,” the statement said.

The company said it would reach out to the same creditors who have proven they can forge a settlement and pursue a deal that delivers billions for addressing the opioid crisis and allows the company to emerge from bankruptcy.

“The decision does nothing to deter us from the twin goals of using settlement dollars for opioid abatement and turning the company into an engine for good,” the company said.

Ruling 'blows up' opioid settlement; lawyers 'scurrying'

The decision upended the negotiated settlement the Sacklers had reached to pay victims and avoid future litigation.

“It certainly blows it up and kind of sends them back to square one,” said Anthony Casey, a professor of law and economics at the University of Chicago. “They have to go back to figure out if they can get the Sacklers to put money in for something less than a global settlement.”

The high court ruled that litigants who don’t agree to a proposed bankruptcy settlement are free to sue nondebtors such as the Sacklers in the future. The open question is how that uncertainty will influence bankruptcy negotiations.

“Every bankruptcy lawyer in the world is now scurrying to try to figure out what they can do,” said Bruce Markell , a bankruptcy law professor at Northwestern University.

What was the Purdue Pharma case about?

Purdue filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 to address its debts, nearly all of which stemmed from thousands of lawsuits alleging that OxyContin sparked an opioid epidemic that has caused more than half a million U.S. overdose deaths over two decades.

The settlement approved by a bankruptcy judge in 2021 would have provided billions to creditors, including state and local governments, individual victims of addiction, hospitals and others who have sued the company.

The vast majority of victims supported the settlement with Purdue Pharma, the company that marketed OxyContin as a less addictive painkiller than other opioids . But the Justice Department stepped into the case to question whether courts could shield the Sacklers from future civil lawsuits − a practice that has been used in major bankruptcies dealing with  harms caused by asbestos  and  silicone breast implants .

Though the case dealt with a technical question of bankruptcy law, there were wrenching stories not far below the surface involving Americans who had lost children, spouses and parents to a crisis that claimed about 80,000 lives in 2022 .

"Once more, the Sacklers seek greater relief than a bankruptcy discharge normally affords, for they hope to extinguish evenclaims for wrongful death and fraud, and they seek to do sowithout putting anything close to all their assets on the table," Gorsuch wrote. "Nor is what the Sacklers seek a traditional release, for they hope to have a court extinguish claims of opioid victims without their consent."

Families: These two moms lost sons to opioids. Now they’re on opposite sides at the Supreme Court.

Bankruptcy expert John Richer said the "ideologically scrambled" decision meant that a proposed bankruptcy settlement aiming to prevent all future litigation against the owners of Purdue Pharma − without filing for personal bankruptcy − was "a bridge too far under the bankruptcy code.”

“This ruling, while disappointing to the victims of the opioid crisis who were slated to receive billions in settlement funds, will add clarity in future Chapter 11 cases involving non-debtor releases,” said Richer, a lawyer at Hall Estill .

Purdue Pharma settlement was widely supported

Supporters of the agreement said it's uncertain whether a better deal could ever have been reached with Purdue. A group of more than 60,000 people who have filed personal injury claims stemming from their exposure to Purdue opioid products told the Supreme Court they support the settlement. The bankruptcy fight has already dragged on for years, allowing the Sacklers to hold on to the billions they have promised.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said he would continue to work toward a settlement that promises tens of millions of dollars for his state. “We have fought hard − and we’re still fighting − to bring a sense of healing to the state,” Morrisey said. “With this decision, we will double down on our efforts to hold those who are accountable for the damage that’s been done to our State. We’ll be examining new ways to bring this case to closure.”

All of the states and the major plaintiffs’ lawyers had agreed to the settlement, Casey said. The Sacklers might continue with the settlement, but they could also walk away because of the potential for future lawsuits, he said.

“The main victims' lawyers aren’t going to want to see that go away,” Casey said. “The Sacklers might just walk away and say ‘Sue us.’”

The problem in bankruptcy law is the uncertainty of what it takes to approve a settlement when thousands of people are involved. Some participants might vote no or some might not respond at all. The Sacklers sought protection from all lawsuits, but the question is whether they could still reach a settlement with most litigants despite the risk of some future lawsuits.

“What people are afraid of is the unknown,” Markell said. “I don’t think anybody knows how many people actually had claims against the Sacklers.”

Regina LaBelle, director of the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, said the decision should spur the Sackler family to create a fund for individual victims of the overdose epidemic.

“The Sackler family should begin the process today of compensating the thousands of individuals who lost loved ones to an overdose from their company’s product,” LaBelle said. “There's no need to wait – and no time to waste.”

Critics had questioned the scope of support for the scuttled settlement, noting it's impossible to count future victims. A teenager who lost her parents to opioids, for example, might not be able to bring a claim against the Sacklers today. Under the agreement, she would be barred from doing so forever. They also note that the Sacklers put a "final offer" on the table once before and then wound up agreeing to a higher payout later.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit upheld the plan in 2023. The Supreme Court temporarily blocked the settlement from taking effect in August while the appeal unfolded.

The case is Harrington v. Purdue Pharma.

Contributing: John Fritze

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The JD Application Process

Wherever you are in your life — in college thinking about law school, a college graduate searching for the right career, currently working but looking for a second career or even hoping to fulfill a long-time dream of becoming a lawyer — CSU|LAW is the place for you!

We have students from all walks of life, and at least one of them sought law school for the same reason you do.

As you take the next step to applying for law school, please be thorough in your research. Talk with lawyers to learn more about their experiences practicing law, visit the Law School Admission Council's website for general information about applying to law school and the LSAT and review our website to learn about the CSU|LAW application process.

Here are some tips to help you on your path to law school:

• If you are just starting college and thinking about selecting a major, choose one that is rigorous and matches your interests and passions. There is no “prelaw” major – law schools and legal employers seek students from a wide range of majors. As a law student you will be doing a lot of reading, writing, and research, so take courses that involves these skills.
• If still in college, begin to establish a connection with professors who could write letters of recommendation for you; let them know of your interest in law school.
• Start exploring the work of attorneys through internships and volunteer work.
• Visit the Law School Admission Council’s website to learn about and register for the LSAT and the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) visit  www.lsac.org .
• Begin preparing for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). Count on at least three months of preparation. Learn about the option of applying with a GRE score instead of an LSAT.
• A personal statement. Learn more here .
• Letters of recommendation. Learn more here .
• Undergraduate and (where applicable) graduate transcripts.

Click here for tips about compiling your application .

• A note about the timing of the admissions process: Although our application deadline is July 1, applicants should apply as soon as reasonably possible. The reality is that by the end of the admissions cycle, there may be few spots still available in the class and scholarship resources may have been expended. So it’s beneficial to submit an application earlier in the process if possible. Please note that we have two Early Decision cycles, with application deadlines on November 15 and January 1. You can read more about the Early Decision process here .

For high school students:

Admission to law school requires that you have successfully completed a Bachelor’s Degree program from a regionally accredited college or university. So you will want to keep this in mind as you are evaluating your college options.

Regionally accredited? What does that mean?

A school's accreditation is your assurance that the school has met specific requirements in terms of quality faculty, facilities, academic programs, student services, success of its graduates, and the overall management of the institution. Regional accrediting agencies include:

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Cleveland State University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. You can most likely find a school’s accreditation statement on their website or in their printed college bulletin.

Learn more about Cleveland State University, our Bachelor’s Degree Programs  and how to apply !

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Watch CBS News

Map shows states where fireworks are legal or illegal on July 4, 2024

By Emily Mae Czachor

Updated on: July 4, 2024 / 10:12 PM EDT / CBS News

Fireworks have become a staple of July Fourth celebrations across the United States, where towns and cities often host professional shows to mark the occasion each year. In some areas, smaller displays of less powerful fireworks pop up at private holiday parties. For people wondering where fireworks are legal —and where they're illegal— nationwide, here's what to know.

Full list of U.S. states where some fireworks are legal

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has banned several types of fireworks —like M-80s, cherry bombs and anything else that contains more than 50 milligrams of pyrotechnic material— at the federal level, but state and local regulations can be more complicated. To varying degrees, certain types of fireworks are legal in 49 states, plus Washington, D.C. 

Here's the full list:

• Connecticut
• Mississippi
• New Hampshire
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia

The one U.S. state where all private fireworks are illegal

Massachusetts is the only state in the U.S. where it is illegal to sell, use or otherwise possess fireworks of any kind as a private citizen. Many communities across the state  host public fireworks displays at their July Fourth celebrations . But without a license and permit, the statewide law prohibits fireworks of all kinds, including sparklers, firecrackers and any other comparable device that's been designed to produce "a visible or audible effect," according to the state government .

The fireworks show in Marblehead, Mass. was canceled because the fireworks barge caught fire in the early morning hours Thursday. No one was aboard the barge at the time and there were no injuries, officials said. 

"There was a fire on the barge in the middle of the night," organizers said in a statement. "The fire marshal won't allow our vendor to perform any fireworks until determination of how the barge was able to catch fire."  

The ban has existed since 1943 , when state legislators amended an earlier set of statutes that previously allowed civilians to buy, sell and use certain kinds of fireworks for displays. When they enacted the fireworks ban, it was among an overhaul of measures enacted in response to World War II, some of which were billed as "emergency" orders meant specifically to remain effective as long as there was a potential enemy threat. But the the consumer fireworks law stayed in place after the war.

Despite periodic calls from within Massachusetts to lift the ban, officials say it continues to be necessary and have ramped up enforcement in recent years because illegal fireworks are prevalent. Between 2013 and 2022, Massachusetts fire departments reported almost 1,000 fires linked to illegal fireworks displays, in addition to 47 injuries — the majority to firefighters — and $2.5 million in damages, according to the state .

States where some fireworks are legal but many are restricted

Numerous states and Washington, D.C., restrict the sale, possession and use of consumer fireworks, even though professional fireworks displays are allowed with the appropriate licenses and permits. Those states are:

Illinois and Vermont have stricter laws than the rest of the U.S. In those states, only sparklers and "novelty" smoke devices are up for sale to the general public. A "novelty" device is one that contains "small amounts of pyrotechnic and/or explosive composition" but does not technically meet requirements to be considered a consumer firework, according to the  American Pyrotechnic Association .

In  Illinois , novelties include snakes, glow worm pellets, smoke devices, party poppers, snappers, trick matches, and "other devices in which paper or plastic caps containing twenty-five hundredths grains or less of explosive compound are used," per the state law banning most consumer fireworks.

The laws are similar in Vermont, where certain sparklers and novelty devices are allowed, provided that the sparklers contain 20 grams or less of pyrotechnic materials and the novelties contain 0.25 grains or less of explosive mixture, according to the  Office of the State Fire Marshal .

States that let counties determine fireworks laws

Hawaii, Nevada and Wyoming allow counties to determine whether fireworks are legal or not within their individual jurisdictions, as well as which kinds of fireworks are allowed and exactly when and where people can buy, sell and use them. 

In Hawaii, concerns over public safety prompted legislators in 2010 to pass a law that gave counties the authority to set stricter regulations for consumer fireworks than the ones established at the state level. It allowed, for instance, the City and County of Honolulu to broadly prohibit the sale, possession and use of all consumer fireworks except fire crackers — which can be obtained with a permit. But the ordinance doesn't apply to other counties.

Similar laws have been passed by state legislatures in Nevada  and Wyoming to give local officials control over fireworks in their areas. In those states, consumer fireworks may be legal in one county and banned in another, and some counties restrict buying, selling and using fireworks to specific times on designated days of the year.

Even when consumer fireworks are generally regulated by the state, people may find themselves in a town or city in Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada or Ohio that has more stringent fireworks laws than its neighbors. And, in places like Illinois, setting off fireworks is only allowed in counties that have passed an ordinance to permit it, including on private property. 

What are non-aerial and non-explosive fireworks?

Most of the states where some but not all fireworks are legally accessible to civilians limit what's allowed to non-aerial and non-explosive fireworks only. Sometimes called "safe and sane" fireworks, these typically refer to devices that don't explode or fly. Because they contain lower amounts of combustible material than other fireworks, officials say they are also less likely to cause injuries or damage to property.

In wildfire-prone California, purchasing fireworks is illegal unless their packaging explicitly bears a "safe and sane" seal. A  fireworks education site operated by the California fire marshal's office lists sky rockets, bottle rockets, Roman candles, aerial shells and firecrackers as a few examples of fireworks that have been banned statewide in accordance with "safe and sane" standards, along with "other fireworks that explode, go into the air, or move on the ground in an uncontrollable manner." 

A growing number of California counties have outlawed fireworks altogether . Violators could faces fines and or jail time.

Why do some states ban certain fireworks?

Most states that place restrictions for civilians on the sale, possession and use of fireworks say the risks of injuries and property damages are their main reasons for doing so. In a number of those states, officials also cite the increased likelihood of wildfires sparking and potentially spreading in an area where fireworks have been set off. 

In California, as the weather remains hot and dry this week, fire officials are issuing warnings about the use of fireworks, which are illegal in several counties. At least two brush fires in the Bay Area may have been caused by illegal fireworks in the past few days. In San Francisco, all fireworks are illegal.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it received reports of eight deaths and an estimated 9,700 injuries related to fireworks in 2023 alone. Of the eight deaths, five were associated with fireworks misuse, two with device malfunction and one was unknown.

How to report illegal fireworks

States and counties across the country encourage people to report any instances where they suspect illegal fireworks are involved, and many ask their residents to file those reports to their local fire departments or law enforcement agencies. People can also report illegal fireworks activity to a hotline at the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms , which is responsible for regulating all explosives, including fireworks.

Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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Reactions and Highlights of the Supreme Court Decision on Trump’s Immunity

The ruling makes a distinction between official actions of a president, which have immunity, and those of a private citizen. In dissent, the court’s liberals lament a vast expansion of presidential power.

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Charlie Savage

Here are some key excerpts from the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.

The Supreme Court declared on Monday that former presidents have immunity for their official actions, upending the case against Donald J. Trump over his attempts to subvert his 2020 election loss.

OPINION OF THE COURT

We conclude that under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power requires that a former President have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office. At least with respect to the President’s exercise of his core constitutional powers, this immunity must be absolute. As for his remaining official actions, he is also entitled to immunity. At the current stage of proceedings in this case, however, we need not and do not decide whether that immunity must be absolute, or instead whether a presumptive immunity is sufficient.

In the majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the conservative supermajority explained that Congress has no authority to pass criminal laws regulating powers that the Constitution assigns exclusively to presidents. Where the two branches share overlapping authority, presidents may or may not have immunity depending on whether applying criminal law to those specific facts would dangerously intrude on the functions of the executive branch.

Taking into account these competing considerations, we conclude that the separation of powers principles explicated in our precedent necessitate at least a presumptive immunity from criminal prosecution for a President’s acts within the outer perimeter of his official responsibility. Such an immunity is required to safeguard the independence and effective functioning of the Executive Branch, and to enable the President to carry out his constitutional duties without undue caution.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by her liberal colleagues, wrote a vehement dissent , portraying the ruling as a sharp expansion of presidential power — not just for Mr. Trump but for all presidents. She cited the famous World War II ruling that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans in the West to invoke the fear that presidents may feel freer to abuse their power.

Justice Sotomayor dissent

Looking beyond the fate of this particular prosecution, the long-term consequences of today’s decision are stark. The court effectively creates a law-free zone around the president, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the founding. This new official-acts immunity now ‘lies about like a loaded weapon’ for any president that wishes to place his own interests, his own political survival, or his own financial gain, above the interests of the nation.

At earlier stages of the Trump case, lower court judges had ruled that Mr. Trump had no immunity from prosecution over the allegations in the indictment regardless of whether the acts were official or unofficial. The Supreme Court sent the case back to the Federal District Court judge who would oversee any trial, Tanya S. Chutkan, to conduct that analysis. The majority, however, declared that Mr. Trump is clearly immune from prosecution for his alleged interactions with Justice Department officials in trying to enlist their help in overturning the 2020 election.

Certain allegations — such as those involving Trump’s discussions with the Acting Attorney General — are readily categorized in light of the nature of the President’s official relationship to the office held by that individual. Other allegations — such as those involving Trump’s interactions with the Vice President, state officials, and certain private parties, and his comments to the general public — present more difficult questions. Although we identify several considerations pertinent to classifying those allegations and determining whether they are subject to immunity, that analysis ultimately is best left to the lower courts to perform in the first instance.

Even as Chief Justice Roberts wrote that a president talking to a vice president counted as an official act, he suggested that it might not qualify for immunity in the context of Mr. Trump’s pressure campaign on his vice president at the time, Mike Pence, to disrupt the certification of Electoral College votes. He noted that Congress has legislated extensively to define the vice president’s role in that task and that the president plays no direct part in it, suggesting that allowing a prosecution based on that act would not unduly impair executive branch functions. By contrast, the chief justice suggested that another context — a president talking to a vice president about casting a tiebreaking 51st vote in the Senate on legislation that is part of the White House’s agenda, for example — more likely would be immune. But he still left that issue to Judge Chutkan to consider.

Opinion of the court

It is ultimately the government’s burden to rebut the presumption of immunity. We therefore remand to the district court to assess in the first instance, with appropriate input from the parties, whether a prosecution involving Trump’s alleged attempts to influence the vice president’s oversight of the certification proceeding in his capacity as president of the Senate would pose any dangers of intrusion on the authority and functions of the executive branch.

During oral arguments, a Justice Department lawyer had suggested that even if the court were to rule that presidents are immune for official acts, prosecutors should still be able to introduce evidence about Mr. Trump’s official acts to help the jury understand the unofficial ones that would be the basis of charges. If so, a ruling that presidents have immunity for official actions would not have been particularly disruptive to the case prosecutors want to present to the jury. But in a major victory for Mr. Trump, Chief Justice Roberts’s opinion ruled out letting prosecutors use testimony or records about any official acts that are subject to immunity.

If official conduct for which the president is immune may be scrutinized to help secure his conviction, even on charges that purport to be based only on his unofficial conduct, the ‘intended effect’ of immunity would be defeated.

One of the court’s six conservatives, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, split from her colleagues on that issue. In a concurring opinion, she said she agreed with the three liberal judges in dissent that prosecutors should be allowed to use such evidence under certain circumstances. As an example, she pointed to a hypothetical bribery case, saying it would “hamstring the prosecution” not to be able to tell the jury about an official act that an ex-president had taken a bribe to perform.

Justice Barrett concurring in part

Yet excluding from trial any mention of the official act connected to the bribe would hamstring the prosecution. To make sense of charges alleging a quid pro quo , the jury must be allowed to hear about both the quid and the quo , even if the quo , standing alone, could not be a basis for the President's criminal liability.

In a footnote, Chief Justice Roberts addressed Justice Barrett, saying “of course” prosecutors could tell the jury that a president had taken an official act in a bribery case; they just could not present documents and testimony inviting the jury to scrutinize a president’s motivation and the legitimacy of that official action.

The five-justice majority’s declaration that official actions that are subject to presidential immunity cannot be used as evidence could matter for evidence about the inflammatory speech Mr. Trump delivered to his followers ahead of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol or any of his postings on Twitter leading up to the 2021 riot. It is established that speech that is protected by the First Amendment can be used as evidence about a defendant’s related crimes. But while leaving the first crack to Judge Chutkan, Chief Justice Roberts’s opinion raised the possibility that Mr. Trump’s words may count as official actions; and so would apparently be inadmissible at trial.

He is even expected to comment on those matters of public concern that may not directly implicate the activities of the Federal Government — for instance, to comfort the Nation in the wake of an emergency or tragedy. For these reasons, most of a President’s public communications are likely to fall comfortably within the outer perimeter of his official responsibilities. There may, however, be contexts in which the President, notwithstanding the prominence of his position, speaks in an unofficial capacity — perhaps as a candidate for office or party leader. To the extent that may be the case, objective analysis of “content, form, and context” will necessarily inform the inquiry. Snyder v. Phelps, 562 U. S. 443, 453 . But “there is not always a clear line between [the President’s] personal and official affairs.” Mazars, 591 U. S., at 868. The analysis therefore must be fact specific and may prove to be challenging.

Simon J. Levien

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on X that the court has been “consumed by a corruption crisis.” She pledged to file articles of impeachment against the justices, though she did not specify which. The last time a Supreme Court justice was successfully impeached was in 1804, and it would require that she and her fellow Democrats win significant support from Republicans, who control the House, to even bring any impeachment to a vote.

Richard Fausset

The Supreme Court’s immunity ruling will also reverberate in Fulton County, Ga., where Trump and 14 of his allies have been criminally charged in a sprawling racketeering indictment. In January, Trump’s Georgia lawyers filed a motion arguing that the case should be dismissed on immunity grounds. But prosecutors have been waiting on the Supreme Court, and have said they will file a response to Trump within two weeks of the issuance of the immunity ruling.

The Georgia case has also been stalled by a pretrial appeal over the issue of whether the Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, should step down from the case because of her romantic involvement with a lawyer she hired to manage the prosecution. The state appellate court is not expected to rule on the matter until after the November presidential election.

Read the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Immunity

The court rules that former presidents have absolute immunity for core constitutional powers, and are also entitled to at least a presumption of immunity for official acts.

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Maggie Astor

Republicans responded to the ruling with triumph, and Democrats with dismay.

In reactions mirroring the ideological split of the Supreme Court justices in their ruling granting presidents immunity for official actions, Republicans expressed triumph on Monday and Democrats dismay.

Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio was the first of former President Donald J. Trump’s top running-mate contenders to weigh in, calling the decision “a massive win, not just for Trump but the rule of law.”

Other Republicans also praised the ruling as a rejection of what they characterized as Democrats’ using the government against Mr. Trump for political purposes.

Senator Steve Daines of Montana, who leads Republicans’ Senate campaign arm, said the Supreme Court had ended a “sad chapter of Joe Biden’s weaponization of the Justice Department.” Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser, called the decision “another setback for the Democrat Party’s illegal and unconstitutional crusade to outlaw dissent, jail the opposition leader, impose authoritarian rule, replace democracy with the deep state and liberty with leftwing oligarchy.”

The Justice Department operates independently of the president, and there is no evidence that President Biden has had any involvement in its prosecution decisions.

Mr. Trump wants to eliminate the department’s independence and has called for prosecuting his political opponents, purging federal agencies of civil servants who might oppose his policies and greatly expanding executive power.

Democrats expressed fear for the future of American democracy, as Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson did in their dissenting opinion . “Simply frightening. May God have mercy on this nation,” Jaime Harrison, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, wrote alongside Justice Sotomayor’s quote: “With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”

Mr. Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Quentin Fulks, said on a call with reporters that the Supreme Court had “handed Donald Trump the keys to a dictatorship.” Shortly before that, the Biden campaign put out a statement saying that the ruling did not change the facts of Mr. Trump’s actions leading up to and on Jan. 6, 2021: “Donald Trump snapped after he lost the 2020 election and encouraged a mob to overthrow the results of a free and fair election,” it said.

“Our democracy has been gravely wounded,” Eric H. Holder Jr., who served as attorney general under President Barack Obama, wrote in a post on social media , saying the Supreme Court had given presidents free rein to commit crimes. “There is no basis in the Constitution for this Court constructed monstrosity.”

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said the Supreme Court had been “consumed by a corruption crisis” and pledged to file articles of impeachment, though she did not specify against which justices. Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Clarence Thomas have been under scrutiny because a flag associated with the “Stop the Steal” movement flew outside Justice Alito’s house after the 2020 election, and Justice Thomas’s wife was involved with efforts to overturn the election.

Supreme Court justices can be impeached, but only one has been — more than 200 years ago — and Republicans currently control the House.

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, called Monday “a sad day for America” and added , “Treason or incitement of an insurrection should not be considered a core constitutional power afforded to a president.”

The district court judge overseeing Mr. Trump’s trial in Washington will have to determine whether his specific actions are protected under the ruling. That will take time and very likely delay a trial past the election — at which point, if Mr. Trump wins, he could order the Justice Department to end the case.

“I don’t see how this case could go forward before the election,” Alina Habba, a lawyer for Mr. Trump, said on Fox News.

Outside groups focused on democracy also condemned the ruling.

“The Court has issued an instruction manual for lawbreaking presidents,” said Michael Waldman, the president of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. “Make sure you conspire only with other government employees. You’ll never be held to account.”

Michael Gold , Simon J. Levien and Mattathias Schwartz contributed reporting.

Michael Gold

The Trump campaign has already sent two fund-raising emails off the Supreme Court decision, a now standard response to developments in Trump’s legal entanglements. “Official acts cannot be illegally prosecuted - BIG WIN FOR DEMOCRACY & OUR CONSTITUTION!,” one said.

Maggie Haberman

Trump has moved on to what was an inevitable statement from him: saying on Truth Social that the Supreme Court decision “should end” all the other court cases against him, which he has falsely tied to President Biden and paints with the same brush. He includes his criminal conviction in New York and the separate successful prosecution of his company for a decadelong fraud by the state's attorney general, Letitia James.

Anticipation and family members of some justices filled the court for the momentous decision.

The tension and sense of anticipation was palpable inside the Supreme Court on Monday morning, as the justices delivered the remaining opinions and some of the most eagerly awaited decisions of the term.

“Sorry this is not the case you’re waiting to hear so I’ll try to be concise,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett quipped, before delivering the court’s first majority opinion of the day, in a case about suing over regulations .

It was indeed not the case that most observers inside and outside the court were counting down to: on the scope and limits of presidential immunity .

In the audience was Michael Dreeben, a former deputy solicitor general who argued for the government in that case. Mr. Dreeben was greeted by several people before proceedings began, and as the justices spoke on the immunity case, he took notes on a small pad and occasionally twiddled his pen. But he showed little emotion as Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. delivered the majority opinion, effectively ruling against him in deciding that presidents have some immunity from criminal prosecution.

The parents of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and the wife of Chief Justice Roberts, Jane Roberts, were also in attendance. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch was absent.

Chief Justice Roberts preemptively addressed possible criticism of the ruling as he emphasized that the decision “does not protect any particular president, but the presidency,” and added that presidential immunity did have limits.

“Saying it so doesn’t make it so,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor sharply countered at the beginning of her dissent from the bench , a rare moment that underscored her profound disagreement with the majority.

Justice Sotomayor, who dissented on behalf of the other liberal members of the court, cut a note of exasperation through her lengthy speech, seemingly to sporadically add “imagine that,” “think about that,” and “interesting, history matters right?” as she read from her written words. When discussing and rebutting the majority, she looked several times to her colleagues on her immediate left, Justice Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice Roberts. They did not return her gaze.

“We fear for democracy,” she said in conclusion.

The court then turned to lighter matters, as the chief justice concluded the term and recognized retiring workers for their service.

“On behalf of my employees — colleagues” — he said, misspeaking to laughter. “On behalf of my colleagues, I thank the employees.”

At the sound of the buzzer and prompted by a staff member, the audience then rose as the justices filed out, concluding the last day of official business until the new term in the fall.

An earlier version of this article misstated the relatives of Supreme Court justices who attended Monday’s session. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s family was not there.

How we handle corrections

In a call with reporters, the Biden campaign is using the decision to sound an alarm. “They just handed Donald Trump the keys to a dictatorship,” Quentin Fulks, the deputy campaign manager, said. “We have to do everything in our power to stop him.”

Senator John Barasso, who ranks third in the Senate Republican leadership, put out a statement heralding the Supreme Court decision as ending “weaponization” of the justice system.

Outside the court, there was little sense that the justices had issued a momentous decision on presidential power. TV cameras and reporters outnumbered the few protesters. A small contingent was calling to abolish the death penalty. One woman with anti-Trump flags was blasting jaunty music with the lyrics “shame on you.” And one Trump supporter wore a sign blaming Democrats for ruining his life.

A vehement dissent laments a vast expansion of power that makes the president ‘a king above the law.’

The Supreme Court’s three Democratic appointees railed in dissent against the conservative majority’s ruling that former President Donald J. Trump has some immunity for his official actions, declaring that their colleagues had made the president into “a king above the law.”

Writing that the majority was “deeply wrong,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor added that beyond its consequences for the bid to prosecute Mr. Trump for his attempt to subvert the outcome of the 2020 election, it would have “stark” long-term consequences for the future of American democracy.

“The court effectively creates a law-free zone around the president, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the founding,” she wrote, in an opinion joined by the other two Democratic appointees, Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Insulating the president of the United States — the most powerful person in the country and possibly the world, she noted — from criminal prosecution when he uses his official powers will allow him to freely use his official power to violate the law, exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, or other “evil ends.”

“Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune,” she wrote, adding: “Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the president and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably.”

Justice Sotomayor also wrote that how the majority had applied the new standard of immunity to official acts to Mr. Trump’s case specifically was “perhaps even more troubling.” Its analysis, she added, operated as a “one-way ratchet” — helping the defense but offering no help to the prosecution.

For example, she wrote, the majority declared that all of Mr. Trump’s actions involving Vice President Mike Pence and the Justice Department counted as official conduct but did not designate any actions in the indictment as falling into the non-“core” category of official conduct that it said could be prosecuted. Nor did it designate as clearly private actions any of several things that Mr. Trump’s team had conceded looked unofficial, like Mr. Trump’s interactions with a personal lawyer.

Justice Sotomayor railed in particular that the majority had declined to rule out immunity for Mr. Trump’s role in organizing fake slates of electors, pressuring states to subvert the legitimate election results, and exploiting the violence of the Jan. 6 riot to influence the certification proceedings.

“It is not conceivable that a prosecution for these alleged efforts to overturn a presidential election, whether labeled official or unofficial under the majority’s test,” would pose any danger of intrusion on the authority and functions of the executive branch, she wrote, adding that “the majority could have said as much,” but did not.

Sometimes justices conclude their dissents with a softening and polite qualifier, writing “Respectfully, I dissent.” Justice Sotomayor instead concluded this one harshly: “With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”

An earlier version of this article incorrectly omitted words from Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent. She wrote, “Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune,” not “Organizes a military exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.”

While joining her five fellow Republican appointees in declaring that former presidents have immunity from criminal prosecution for their official actions, Justice Amy Coney Barrett filed a concurring opinion that nevertheless reflected some flavor of dissent.

She disagreed with the majority’s holding that the Constitution does not permit prosecutors to tell a jury about an ex-president’s official actions that are relevant to some private action being charged. As an example, she pointed to a hypothetical bribery case, saying it would “hamstring the prosecution” not to be able to tell the jury what official act an ex-president took a bribe to perform.

In a footnote of the majority opinion, Chief Justice Roberts addressed Justice Barrett’s example of a bribery case. He disagreed that the court’s ruling meant prosecutors could not mention any official act, saying “of course” prosecutors could point to the public record to show that a president performed the official act in question. What prosecutors may not do, Chief Justice Roberts wrote, is admit testimony or private records that would invite a jury to scrutinize the president’s motivations for the act and second-guess its propriety.

In an interview with Fox News’s digital team, Trump heralded the decision as an absolute victory, although it falls somewhat short of that. He blamed Democrats for the prosecutions and said, “And now the courts have spoken.” He said he can now campaign freely. It’s worth bearing in mind that Trump is set to be sentenced in Manhattan next week on his criminal conviction for falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star in 2016.

Adam Liptak

Reporting on the Supreme Court since 2008

Thomas and Alito took part in the case, despite calls for their recusal.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr., rejecting calls for their disqualification, participated in the decision on the scope of former President Donald J. Trump’s immunity from prosecution.

Experts in legal ethics have said that the activities of the justices’ wives raised serious questions about their impartiality.

Virginia Thomas, known as Ginni, helped shape the effort to overturn the 2020 election. “Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History,” Ms. Thomas wrote in a text message to Mark Meadows, President Donald J. Trump’s chief of staff, during the fraught weeks between the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Justice Thomas has not given a public explanation for remaining on the case, and he has taken part in other cases arising from the election and the 2021 attack. But he recused himself in October from a case concerning John Eastman, a conservative lawyer who had advised Mr. Trump. Justice Thomas, for whom Mr. Eastman had served as a law clerk, gave no reasons for his decision to disqualify himself from that case.

Justice Alito has been more forthcoming. He explained why he would not recuse from the case in a letter to Democratic lawmakers in May after The New York Times reported that flags that have been used to support the “Stop the Steal” movement had been displayed at his homes in Virginia and New Jersey .

The justice said his wife, Martha-Ann, was responsible. “My wife is fond of flying flags,” he wrote. “I am not. She was solely responsible for having flagpoles put up at our residence and our vacation home and has flown a wide variety of flags over the years.”

The court recently adopted a code of conduct for the justices . It allows individual justices to make their own decisions about recusal.

One provision of the code says that “a justice is presumed impartial and has an obligation to sit unless disqualified.”

A second provision says that “a justice should disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the justice’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned, that is, where an unbiased and reasonable person who is aware of all relevant circumstances would doubt that the justice could fairly discharge his or her duties.”

The flags displayed at his properties, Justice Alito wrote, did not require him to recuse from the case. “A reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases,” he wrote, “would conclude this event does not meet the applicable standard for recusal.”

Indeed, he wrote, he had an obligation to sit and hear the case.

An earlier version of this article misspelled the name used by Virginia Thomas, the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas. She is known as Ginni, not Ginny.

There’s so far been no reaction on social media to the ruling from the three people in closest contention to be Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate: J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio and Doug Burgum.

Mattathias Schwartz

The ruling is “absurd and dangerous,” a “monstrosity,” Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under President Barack Obama, wrote in a post on X. He argued that the Supreme Court is giving presidents free rein to commit crimes so long as they act within their “constitutional authority.”

Here’s one of the sleeper holdings in the court’s ruling: The decision finds not only that a president can’t be charged for any official acts, but also that evidence involving official acts can’t be introduced to bolster accusations made about unofficial acts. If I’m reading this right, Chief Justice Roberts has reversed himself from his position during oral arguments.

The Government does not dispute that if Trump is entitled to immunity for certain official acts, he may not “be held criminally liable” based on those acts. But it nevertheless contends that a jury could “consider” evidence concerning the President’s official acts “for limited and specified purposes,” and that such evidence would “be admissible to prove, for example, [Trump’s] knowledge or notice of the falsity of his election-fraud claims.”

Then, he posed a hypothetical situation about a president giving away an ambassadorship for a bribe. Roberts said that prosecutors should be allowed to introduce not only evidence about the bribe (a private act) but also the ambassadorial appointment (an official act) — otherwise, the jury would hear about only one side of the quid pro quo.

While the ruling cuts against what the Biden team would have wanted to see, they appear to be prepared to use the issue to highlight Trump’s conduct on and before Jan. 6, 2021, and the deluge of lies about the election he had lost.

One of the important findings by the court is this: The justices have given former presidents an expansive amount of protection against prosecution by ruling that there is presumption of immunity for acts that fall within “the outer perimeter” of a president’s official duties. That’s the same broad standard that protects presidents and former presidents against civil lawsuits. Whether the “outer perimeter” test holds up in Trump’s case remains to be seen.

While Trump’s lawyers requested immunity for anything he did while in office, during oral argument they suggested they would be pleased if the court set this broad “outer perimeter” standard.

Circling back to the court’s view of the specific allegations in Jack Smith’s indictment: Chief Justice Roberts's ruling expresses skepticism that Trump could be prosecuted for the speech he gave on Jan. 6 or any of his tweets that day. Roberts notes that “most of a president’s public communications are likely to fall comfortably within the outer perimeter of his official responsibilities.” But he leaves open the possibility that Trump could face charges for his words if they were delivered as “a candidate for office.”

The President possesses “extraordinary power to speak to his fellow citizens and on their behalf.” Trump v. Hawaii, 585 U. S. 667, 701. So most of a President’s public communications are likely to fall comfortably within the outer perimeter of his official responsibilities.

There may, however, be contexts in which the President speaks in an unofficial capacity—perhaps as a candidate for office or party leader.

Several of the justices’ family members also attended the last day of the court's term, including Justice Kavanaugh’s parents and Jane Roberts, the chief justice’s wife. Michael Dreeban, a lawyer who argued on behalf of the special counsel in the immunity case, was also present. He took notes as Chief Justice Roberts delivered the opinion but showed little emotion.

Inside the courtroom, the anticipation and tension was palpable. Before Justice Amy Coney Barrett delivered the first opinion of the day — in a case about suing over regulations — she quipped, “Sorry this is not the case you’re waiting to hear so I’ll try to be concise.”

Trump posted a victorious message on his social media site, Truth Social: “BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!"

As Justice Sotomayor's appalled dissent makes clear, this ruling is a dramatic expansion of presidential power — not just for Trump but for all presidents. She cites the notorious World War II ruling that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans on the West Coast.

The Supreme Court majority ruling sets the stage for a new appeals fight if prosecutors continue to want to tell the jury about former President Trump pressuring former Vice President Pence to disrupt the counting of Biden’s Electoral College votes — a linchpin to understanding the fake electors scheme , according to the indictment.

Chief Justice Roberts says Trump’s pressuring of Pence was certainly official conduct, but leaves open the question of whether it counts as the core kind for which Trump has absolute immunity, or a lessor kind where he has only a presumption of immunity that can be overcome.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas questioned the legitimacy of the appointment of the special counsel, Jack Smith: “If this unprecedented prosecution is to proceed, it must be conducted by someone duly authorized to do so by the American people.” That is an issue that the judge in the Trump classified documents case, Aileen Cannon, just held a hearing about . Notably, none of the other eight justices joined his concurring opinion.

JUSTICE THOMAS CONCURRING

If this unprecedented prosecution is to proceed, it must be conducted by someone duly authorized to do so by the American people.

Chief Justice Roberts’s analysis suggests that Trump talking to Pence about the Electoral College vote might not be entitled to immunity because Congress has legislated extensively to define the vice president’s role, and the president plays no direct part in that process. Chief Justice Roberts suggests that another context — a president talking to a vice president about casting a tie-breaking 51st vote in the Senate on legislation that is part of the White House’s agenda — is more likely to be immune.

But despite telegraphing that likely result, the Supreme Court does not just say that. It instead sends the issue back to Judge Chutkan.

Reporting from Washington

Presidents are partly shielded from prosecution, the Supreme Court rules.

The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that former President Donald J. Trump is entitled to substantial immunity from prosecution on charges of trying to overturn the last election, a blockbuster decision in the heat of the 2024 campaign that vastly expanded presidential power.

The vote was 6 to 3, dividing along partisan lines. Its immediate practical effect will be to further complicate the case against Mr. Trump, with the chances that it will go before a jury ahead of the election now vanishingly remote and the charges against him, at a minimum, narrowed.

The decision amounted to a powerful statement by the court’s conservative majority that presidents should be insulated from the potential that actions they take in carrying out their official duties could later be used by political enemies to charge them with crimes.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority, said Mr. Trump had at least presumptive immunity for his official acts. He added that the trial judge must undertake an intensive factual review to separate official and unofficial conduct and to assess whether prosecutors can overcome the presumption protecting Mr. Trump for his official conduct.

If Mr. Trump prevails at the polls, the issue could become moot since he could order the Justice Department to drop the charges.

The liberal wing, in some of the harshest dissents ever filed by justices of the Supreme Court, said the majority had created a kind of king not answerable to the law.

Broad immunity for official conduct is needed, the chief justice wrote, to protect “an energetic, independent executive.”

“The president therefore may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote. “That immunity applies equally to all occupants of the Oval Office, regardless of politics, policy or party.”

The alternative, the chief justice wrote, is to invite tit-for-tat political reprisals.

“Virtually every president is criticized for insufficiently enforcing some aspect of federal law (such as drug, gun, immigration or environmental laws),” he wrote. “An enterprising prosecutor in a new administration may assert that a previous president violated that broad statute. Without immunity, such types of prosecutions of ex-presidents could quickly become routine.”

In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the decision was gravely misguided. In a rare move and sign of deep disagreement, she summarized her dissent from the bench, making off-the-cuff remarks that underscored her frustration.

“Today’s decision to grant former presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institution of the presidency,” she wrote. “It makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of government, that no man is above the law.”

In her own dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that “the court has now declared for the first time in history that the most powerful official in the United States can (under circumstances yet to be fully determined) become a law unto himself.”

Mr. Trump embraced the outcome on social media, celebrating the ruling. “Big win for our constitution and democracy,” he wrote in all-capital letters. “Proud to be an American!”

President Biden warned that the decision set a dangerous precedent. “The power of the office will no longer be constrained by the law, even including the Supreme Court of the United States,” he said, urging voters to prevent his Republican rival from winning a second term. “The only limits will be self-imposed by the president alone.”

The chief justice’s opinion recounted the events surrounding the assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an understated, almost antiseptic summary, while the dissents called them a singular threat to democracy. And where the chief justice stressed the importance of protecting all presidents, the dissents focused on Mr. Trump.

Chief Justice Roberts wrote that it was not the Supreme Court’s job to sift through the evidence and to separate protected conduct from the rest. “That analysis,” he wrote, “ultimately is best left to the lower courts to perform in the first instance.”

But he issued guideposts for Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, of the Federal District Court in Washington, who is overseeing the case.

Mr. Trump, the chief justice wrote, is “absolutely immune from prosecution for the alleged conduct involving his discussions with Justice Department officials.”

He added that Judge Chutkan should determine whether prosecutors can overcome Mr. Trump’s presumed immunity for his communications with Vice President Mike Pence.

“We therefore remand to the district court to assess in the first instance, with appropriate input from the parties, whether a prosecution involving Trump’s alleged attempts to influence the vice president’s oversight of the certification proceeding in his capacity as president of the Senate would pose any dangers of intrusion on the authority and functions of the executive branch,” he wrote.

Other parts of the indictment against Mr. Trump, the chief justice said, require “a close analysis of the indictment’s extensive and interrelated allegations.”

That includes, he wrote, Mr. Trump’s statements on Jan. 6, among them ones he made at the rally on the Ellipse.

“Whether the tweets, that speech and Trump’s other communications on Jan. 6 involve official conduct may depend on the content and context of each,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote in a characteristically noncommittal passage.

He added, in a kind of refrain that ran through his opinion: “This necessarily fact-bound analysis is best performed initially by the district court.”

In all, the majority opinion was a broad defense of executive power and a detailed recipe for delay.

It was joined by the other Republican appointees: Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and, in part, Amy Coney Barrett.

In dissent, Justice Sotomayor wrote that “the long-term consequences of today’s decision are stark.”

“The court effectively creates a law-free zone around the president, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the founding,” she wrote, adding: “The president of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly the world. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution.”

She gave examples: “Orders the Navy’s SEAL team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold on to power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.”

Chief Justice Roberts rejected the prosecutors’ arguments that evidence about official acts could be presented to the jury for context and information about Mr. Trump’s motives.

Mr. Trump contended that he was entitled to absolute immunity from the charges, relying on a broad understanding of the separation of powers and a 1982 Supreme Court precedent that recognized such immunity in civil cases for actions taken by presidents within the “outer perimeter” of their official responsibilities.

Lower courts rejected that claim.

“Whatever immunities a sitting president may enjoy,” Judge Chutkan wrote , “the United States has only one chief executive at a time, and that position does not confer a lifelong ‘get out of jail free’ pass.”

A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agreed. “For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant,” the panel wrote in an unsigned decision . “But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as president no longer protects him against this prosecution.”

In agreeing to hear the case, the Supreme Court said it would decide this question: “whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office.”

The court heard two other cases this term concerning the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6.

In March, the court unanimously rejected an attempt to bar Mr. Trump from the ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which makes people who engage in insurrection ineligible to hold office. The court, without discussing whether Mr. Trump was covered by the provision, ruled that states may not use it to exclude candidates for the presidency from the ballot.

On Friday, the court ruled that federal prosecutors had improperly used an obstruction law to prosecute some members of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Two of the four charges against Mr. Trump are based on that law. In a footnote on Monday, Chief Justice Roberts wrote that “if necessary, the district court should determine in the first instance” whether those charges may proceed in light of the decision last week.

The court decided the case restoring Mr. Trump to the ballot at a brisk pace, hearing arguments a month after agreeing to and issuing its decision a month after that.

The immunity case has moved at a considerably slower tempo. In December, in asking the justices to leapfrog the appeals court and hear the case immediately, Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing the prosecution, wrote that “it is of imperative public importance that respond­ent’s claims of immunity be resolved by this court.” He added that “only this court can definitively resolve them.”

The justices denied Mr. Smith’s petition 11 days after he filed it, in a brief order without noted dissents.

After the appeals court ruled against Mr. Trump, he asked the Supreme Court to intervene. Sixteen days later, on Feb. 28, the court agreed to hear his appeal, scheduling arguments for almost two months later, on the last day of the term. Another two months have passed since then.

At the argument, several of the conservative justices did not seem inclined to examine the details of the charges against Mr. Trump. Instead, they said, the court should issue a ruling that applies to presidential power generally.

“We’re writing a rule for the ages,” Justice Gorsuch said.

The court’s announcement of that rule on Monday elicited some of the sharpest dissents ever by justices of the Supreme Court.

Justice Jackson, for instance, said the practical consequences of the majority opinion “are a five-alarm fire that threatens to consume democratic self-governance and the normal operations of our government.”

Before reading from her prepared remarks, Justice Sotomayor appeared to address the chief justice directly: “Saying it so doesn’t make it so.”

She quoted mockingly from the majority’s opinion on how criminal prosecutions would have an even more chilling effect on the ability of a president to take “bold and unhesitating action.”

“Think about that — that makes no sense,” she said.

In her written dissent, Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justices Jackson and Elena Kagan, said: “The relationship between the president and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law.”

Justice Sotomayor ended her opinion in unusual fashion. “With fear for our democracy,” she wrote, “I dissent.”

Chief Justice Roberts said the dissents were overwrought.

“They strike a tone of chilling doom that is wholly disproportionate,” he wrote, “to what the court actually does today — conclude that immunity extends to official discussions between the president and his attorney general, and then remand to the lower courts to determine ‘in the first instance’ whether and to what extent Trump’s remaining alleged conduct is entitled to immunity.”

Linda Qiu contributed reporting.

News Analysis

In taking up Trump’s immunity claim, the Supreme Court bolstered his delay strategy.

The Supreme Court tossed former President Donald J. Trump a legal lifeline months ago by making its original choice to hear his immunity claims, a move that substantially aided Mr. Trump’s efforts to delay his federal trial on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election.

By deciding to take up Mr. Trump’s argument that presidents enjoy almost total immunity from prosecution for official actions taken while in office — a legal theory rejected by two lower courts — the justices bought the former president several months before a trial on the election interference charges can start.

There is now only a slender possibility that Mr. Trump could still face a jury in the case, in Federal District Court in Washington, before Election Day.

Given the Supreme Court’s leisurely pace in issuing its decision and the amount of legal business left to conduct in the trial court, the odds are steep that voters will not get a chance to hear the evidence that Mr. Trump sought to subvert the last election before they decide whether to back him in the current one.

If Mr. Trump is successful in delaying the trial until after Election Day and he wins, he could use the powers of his office to seek to dismiss the election interference indictment altogether. Moreover, Justice Department policy precludes prosecuting a sitting president, meaning that, once sworn in, he could most likely have any federal trial he is facing postponed until after he left office.

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Personal Statement

Student information, instructions.

Any form with incomplete information will not be used in the review. Other personal statement formats are acceptable and can be submitted via email, fax, or in person.

All other supplemental forms and documentation should also be submitted for the request to be complete. 

How to Write a Great Law School Personal Statement

Are you ready to tackle your law school personal statement? Clear and concise writing is a vital skill for law students, but writing about yourself can be daunting. It's hard to winnow your life experiences down to a couple of pages or find one topic to focus on. 

Yet, your personal statement is a critical part of the application process . When combined with your resume, application, and LSAT score, it forms a complete picture of who you are and why you're a perfect fit. 

With these steps, you'll overcome obstacles while developing prose that supports a favorable application decision. 

Does a personal statement matter for law school?

Yes, your personal statement for law school is vital. It provides insights that aren't apparent on your transcripts. Engaging prose helps you stand out in a competitive space resulting in acceptance at your most-desired schools. 

For the 2020-2021 academic year, the number of applicants to law schools rose by 1.6%, with 63,206 applicants submitting 381,698 applications, according to the Law School Admission Council . You're competing with students who may have similar LSAT scores , grade point averages, and professional experience. When facing identical transcripts from hardworking students, often the only differentiator is the personal statement. 

After all, admissions officers want to know the person behind the hard data. That's where your law school personal statement comes into play. With a standout essay, you capture admissions officers' attention and an amazing narrative sticks in their heads. Your story should emphasize valuable traits, such as: 

• Intelligence
• Professionalism
• Persuasiveness
• Thoughtfulness
• Seriousness

How do you write a good law school personal statement?

Writing a great law school personal statement doesn't come without hard work. Although you've written plenty of essays during your college experience, a strong narrative requires genuine reflection. You need to dig deep to uncover an aspect of your life that led to a significant change or put you on your current path.

Of course, intelligent prose doesn't always come out in the first draft. So prepare to spend a good chunk of time building your narrative and adjusting your statement for flow. Starting is often the hardest part of writing. Fortunately, you can follow these steps to nail your law school personal statement. 

Review law school personal statement requirements

Begin by scouring the application packet materials and college websites. Look for key information about the length and page format of your personal statement. The guidelines should answer important questions like:

• How long should your personal statement be for law school? 
• What is the maximum word count for a personal statement?
• How do you format a personal statement?

Next, write down any required prompts to answer in your essay. For instance, some schools may ask why you're applying or why you want a JD degree. Organize program details using a spreadsheet or project management software like Trello. Create a card or row for each program, then list important facts about its mission, goals, and community. 

Also, check to see if any programs offer law school personal statement examples. Read through samples to get an idea of what admissions officers expect. Lastly, some colleges accept other types of statements as well, such as a diversity statement or an addendum. For best results, complete all options.

Diversity statement for law school 

A diversity statement defines what makes you different. It sounds or looks similar to your law school personal statement. But, it differs because you don't need to tie up your narrative into a neat package that ends with an epiphany. Instead, it may cover an experience that explains your values or desire to work towards inclusivity.

Law school application addendum

An addendum is a way to overcome lower scores, a gap in education, or other concerns where you fall short in your official papers and transcripts. Addendums are short, concise, and honest. Explain your reason and demonstrate that you've met and overcome your challenge. 

Brainstorm potential personal statement topics 

Some people prefer to jump right into writing. However, your life story is pretty lengthy, so it's essential to narrow down your subject matter. Focus your attention by reflecting on your life and coming up with some topics to write about. Consider ideas like: 

• Personal challenges, hardships, or completed goals
• A turning point in your life
• Unique hobbies or personal interests
• Special achievements or awards, not listed in-depth on your initial application
• A situation or environment that changed you or your values
• A project that got results and you're passionate about
• Your upbringing, culture, education, or a personal or professional experience

While brainstorming, go through your transcripts, application, and resume. Are there any gaps or missing details that your personal statement could cover? Perhaps you listed volunteer work with a local animal shelter on your application. Could you delve into this topic further? Aim to share a unique story where your personal growth is the main focus. 

Explore your subject for clarity and insights

Sure, your chosen topic may be fresh on your mind. However, your personal statement for law school is more than describing an event. You need to show admission officers how this experience shaped you. It's vital to dig into how it impacted your values, traits, and feelings. 

Many students report spending hours or days considering their topic, digging through memories, and compiling their subject matter. If you have access to photos, documents, or other things that'll jog your mind, then now is the time to pull them out. Sometimes even listening to your favorite songs can help you remember the moment. 

Uncover a unique angle

Mark Twain once said that no story ideas are original. That holds true for personal statements as well. Plenty of law school applicants face difficult decisions, adversity, or enlightening experiences. Your essay isn't a retelling of an event. It focuses on your feelings and growth. And the story of you is unique, as no one shares your exact emotions or reactions. 

Your goal is to explore an angle that sets your story apart from others. Overcome obstacles by taking a break during brainstorming. Come back to your topic with fresh eyes and hammer out your main idea. 

Sum up your idea and start writing

Now you're looking at your topic, an angle, and you've pulled up those old memories. Do your best to sum it up and conclude it with a few sentences. This is your main point, and what every paragraph should lead the reader back to. Use these sentences as a reference point while writing. 

Some students prefer to create a general outline before writing. Others produce a few key sentences and start typing. All personal statements for law school use a narrative arc with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Include:

• A captivating introduction that draws the reader into your life
• Body paragraphs that naturally flow towards a conclusion
• A decisive conclusion that delivers a lasting impression

During the rough draft, forget about length, grammar, or other specifics. Instead, just write. Get everything out on the pages. You'll have plenty of time later to refine, clarify, and structure your personal law school statement. Once you're done, read it over, make a few edits, and walk away. 

Turn a draft into your personal law school statement 

With a rough draft in hand, assess every word to ensure your story meets your objectives. Your goal is to recreate the moment and invite the reader into your account. Mold your rough draft into a final piece by focusing on a coherent structure. 

Flow. A logical progression of ideas, with a clear arc, is essential. Your reader should glide through your personal statement naturally. 

Length. Eliminate wordy phrases, overly difficult words, and descriptions that don't support your conclusion. 

Personalization. Pay attention to subtle differences in law schools, from their communities to purpose. If you can genuinely work this into your personal statement, then do so.

Character decisions. It's okay to include other characters in your personal statement, but ultimately you want to return the focus to yourself. 

Revise and edit several times

Few applicants write a stellar personal statement the first time. Get the best results by putting your draft through a comprehensive editing and revision process. This goes beyond using your word processing spell checker. Invest in human and technical tools to ensure the best results. Take steps such as: 

• Double-check that your essay meets formatting and length requirements. 
• Make sure you've answered any writing prompts.
• Personalize your statement to the specific school and program. 
• Use a tool like Grammarly or ProWritingAid to correct grammar and style issues. 
• Run your document through the Hemingway App to catch hard-to-read sentences and more.

Lastly, it’s essential to get help editing your personal statement. Fresh eyes and unbiased opinions allow you to refine your narrative. Obtain assistance from law school forums, writing centers, and social media communities. Or, ask fellow students or mentors to review your essay.

Create an impressive law school personal statement

Make your application packet stand out with a genuine and captivating personal statement for law school. Although writing your essay may seem like a challenging task, once you break it down into steps, it'll be easier to develop a cohesive statement that's sure to win admission officers’ attention.

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Personal statements.

Graduate school and special programs often require a personal statement.  The stakes are high, so here are some strategies for writing a strong one.

Know Your Audience Study the school and the program or department to which you wish to apply.  That means scour the pages that normally you might never even think of looking at, such as the following:

• Mission Statement,
• the President’s page,
• the Provost’s page,
• the department page,
• faculty members’ pages.

These pages will tell you the direction the school is going, where the big next projects will be, what kinds of talents this school values, and what goals it holds for its students.   You might mention a faculty member whom you would like to work with in your essay—look at research projects and articles he or she posts.

It’s important that your own values and goals are in alignment with those of the institutions to which you apply.  For instance, suppose you want to be a social worker who is active in your community, and you are considering applying to a school that wants to produce researchers in social work, not community leaders in social work.  You would be better off finding a school that has similar values to yours.  When you write your personal statement, use the values and goals that you and the school share. 

What Committees Look For Keep in mind that the admissions committee of most schools will want to know the following things about you:

• whether you look like you will complete your degree
• whether you have specific goals for your future
• whether you will realize those goals and join the alumni club.

The school wants to produce graduates who complete their vision, so what you write has to be in line with the above three things. 

How You Approach the Question While some schools will have specific questions, others will simply ask you to write a 1-2 page personal statement.   If there is a list of questions, one dangerous thing is to follow the order of the questions:  you can almost count on your answer not being coherent.  These documents need a focus or thesis just like other writing tasks you’ve faced in many classes.  Let the focus or thesis guide the paper.  Here are some ways to approach the task:

• think of one word that describes how you have been successful in school thus far; then think of one story that illustrates that word—in this way, you will have both a focus and a specific example (which are much easier to write than simply a generic essay on why you want to go to school that might sound like everyone else’s essay).  Be sure that your values are consistent with those of the school.
• if you want to be creative, remember the Blue Angels (those planes that fly side by side in the Air Show):  you can tell a great compelling or intriguing story (that’s the one plane), but be sure your audience knows your real focus (that’s the second plane).  A friend of mine wrote about fixing toilets for his medical school application:  the first plane (intriguing story) was understood quickly by his audience because they understood his real thesis (the second plane) —that doctors are good with their hands.  He got in!  Another person wrote about his cab driving job (intriguing story), and his passengers were all in legal trouble (second plane, real thesis); by the second paragraph, the reader knows the writer wants to go to law school to help others.

Watch Your Tone Be sure to bring your personal statement to at least three people you trust before you submit it.  Remember you have to have a great deal of energy to complete special programs.  Others can help you see where you might make yourself look bad.  Here are some issues to consider:

• negative language makes you look like a critical and angry person
• if you want to write negatively, use facts instead of bad names
• if you are writing about abuse or neglect, it’s your overcoming that situation that the committee is looking for
• don’t neglect your experiences with learning in the past

Have someone check the grammar of your paper:  when the competition is fierce, your grammar is one way that a committee can put your application behind someone else’s. 

Some Resources The Purdue Online Writing Lab has some sample essays, advice, and some comments from admissions committee members: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/642/01/

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Need help on Ohio Personal Statement..PLEASE! :) Forum

Need help on Ohio Personal Statement..PLEASE! :)

Post by osumccoy.348 » Sun Dec 05, 2010 11:12 pm

Re: Need help on Ohio Personal Statement..PLEASE! :)

Post by osumccoy.348 » Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:31 pm

Post by 3|ink » Tue Dec 07, 2010 4:35 pm

osumccoy.348 wrote: please I need help on this, maybe some advice on conclusion? I still remember my first law school class. I participated and was even acknowledged by the professor. Only my experience was not as an enrolled student but rather as the son of an enrolled student. I was seven and my mother was attending classes at the Oklahoma City School of Law and allowed me to come with her. It began the first of many times I would attend law related events with my mother and with it inspire me to apply to law school after college. My respect for the study of law would carry into my adult life, and with my current aspirations request admission to Capital University Law School Save Mom for later-- My mother became my role model for more than the typical reasons. She balanced raising three kids on her own while earning her JD. She would go on to earn her LLM in Business and Taxation here, at Capital Law School after graduation. It took a ton of growing up to realize what my mother gave to raise my siblings and me right. The sacrifices she made would leave a lasting impact in helping me develop my values and define what it means to be strong in the face of adversity. My life has been filled with experiences and moments that have shaped who I am and what I value but not without a price. I had to face a battle to overcome adversity to really understand what was important to me. I found that early in my life I succeeded at school and at most activities I sought to accomplish. In a twist of fate this led me to develop apathy towards school, a regret that was superseded by personal tragedy. During my junior and senior years while attending the at Ohio State University, my mother was hospitalized for diabetes and severe liver disease. Seeing my role model, my motivation, my mother in that critical state convinced me to not let life slip by me but to turn my life around and grow. It was this adversity from which I would emerge stronger than ever.

osumccoy.348 wrote: Since these life-changing experiences, perseverance allowed me to develop leadership skills and personal motivation.

osumccoy.348 wrote: I am a proud recipient of a degree in political science from the Ohio State University.

osumccoy.348 wrote: This displays my abilities to write professionally and use logical reasoning skills to critically analyze and defend through argument problems within the world. My grades steadily improved during times of great adversity. My much improved score on the LSAT demonstrates that I am more than capable to perform well at Capital Law School and in turn give back to the great city of Columbus. I have demonstrated a clear ability to improve even when the odds were against me.

osumccoy.348 wrote: I embody the characteristics of straightforwardness and the ability to view a problem from all sides and plan to implement those skills in order to achieve success in the field of law. One of the concentrations offered by Capital Law School, Dispute Resolution, requires personalities to be consistently clear and concise. The ability to develop cogent arguments and implement them is a skill I developed during my course work in political science at Ohio State. I recognize the fact that Capital Law School is very proud of their Dispute Resolution Program and I believe I have the ability to both thrive and excel if enrolled into your juris doctor program.

osumccoy.348 wrote: I also have a vested interest in the prestigious Children and Family Law program at Capital. This really speaks to me on a personal level. Coming from a family that has endured many hardships, keeping the family together in the toughest times is the most important aspect of a child’s life. I feel that I could excel in the field of Family and Children Law and be more than successful in helping families that struggled just like mine has. I am also deeply interested in joining Capital University Law Review and the National Moot Court team

osumccoy.348 wrote: I have extensive goals that must be achieved through the means of attending a law school that fits my criteria and has opportunities to help me thrive in this competitive market. I have considered using my background in political science to help foster a career within the government or to practice criminal, juvenile, family and civil law in Ohio. While attending Capital, I plan to take advantage of the Pro Bono Program to give back to the legal community and would be interested in long-term commitments. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post by osumccoy.348 » Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:50 pm

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Where do I add the personal statement?

I’m currently applying to transfer to Ohio State. I haven’t had any interruptions in my education so I understand the personal statement is optional for me, but where can I add it in if I choose to include it? On the step-by-step page it says that the personal statement section is under the the ‘programme data’ tab, but I’m having real trouble finding it? All I can see is the question that asks if you can explain why you had a interruption in your education.

Thank you!!

General troubleshooting tip - you might want to try a different browser. If you are using a tablet or chrome, sometimes switching to a desktop and internet explorer, fire fox or safari renders differently.