First-generation college and law school graduate Jose Vazquez, J.D. '14, has been selected as a 2023-2024 United States Supreme Court Fellow. He is the first in the history of the University of Miami School of Law to be honored into the Supreme Court Fellows Program.
The court, now celebrating its 50th year, selects only four fellows into the one-yearlong program versus other highly prestigious D.C. fellowships: the White House Fellows program numbers between 11 and 19, for instance.
"I found out about my selection to the Fellows Program when I was at work, "said Vazquez. "I wasn't expecting the call but when I saw the Washington, D.C. area code on my phone my heart skipped a beat. When I answered the phone and learned that I had been selected, I was overcome with emotions. I was happy, excited, and mostly in shock. It felt like the culmination of years of sacrifices had paid off and my dream of working in the highest level of the federal judiciary had come true."
According to the court, he will be the fellow assigned to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the central support entity for the judicial branch. Vazquez joins the program from the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, where he clerked for Judge Adalberto "Bert" Jordan, A.B. '84, J.D. '87. He previously clerked for Judge Jacqueline Becerra, A.B. '91, of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
"I learned about the Supreme Court Fellows Program during my clerkship with Judge Jordan," said Vazquez. "After I attended an information session, the Fellows Program seemed like an outstanding opportunity to continue pursuing my passion for the rule of law and the administration of justice while at the same time developing my own research agenda about petitions for international judicial assistance."
An American Dream Story
Born in Havana, Cuba, Vazquez and his mother immigrated to the United States in 2001 when he was 11 years old, thanks to the American Visa Lottery. They lived in a two-bedroom apartment with his maternal grandparents in Hialeah, Florida, where he attended Miami Dade Public Schools. He learned English in school and became the family's translator and navigator.
The road to SCOTUS began while attending the Miami-Dade Honors College on scholarship, where he was selected to participate as a fellow in the Salzburg Global Seminar, competed in the Model United Nations Competition, and founded the school's Public Speaking Club. While at MDC, he also worked for two consecutive summers at the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C., as part of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National Internship Program.
He finished his undergraduate studies at Georgetown University on scholarship, earning a B.A. in government.
Vazquez says he decided to attend Miami Law because of its outstanding reputation in Miami. "It's the community where I grew up and where I wanted to practice law. Miami Law also offered a wide variety of practical experiences that I thought were phenomenal such as the Litigation Skills Program, the Street Law Program, the Health Rights Clinic, and the Externship Program, which included companies such as Ryder System, Inc. and Bacardi Limited."
In his 1L summer at Miami Law, Vazquez interned with the Health Rights Clinic and was selected to participate in the Hispanic National Bar Association/Microsoft IP Law Institute, the brainchild of Horacio Gutiérrez, J.D.'98, the then corporate vice president and deputy general counsel in charge of the Microsoft Corp.'s worldwide intellectual property group, after meeting him at a Miami Law-arranged breakfast.
The institute is designed to provide opportunities for Latino students interested in intellectual property law, including patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and trademarks.
Vazquez also competed in the Hispanic National Bar Association Moot Court Competition and was a fellow in the University of Miami STREET Law program, where he taught and mentored students at his alma mater, Hialeah High School.
After graduating from law school, he worked as an associate in the Global Products Liability Practice Group at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP, where he had previously worked as a summer associate, primarily on complex product liability cases. Later, he was recruited to join the litigation department of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. in Miami, where his practice focused on white-collar and commercial litigation cases. At GT, he worked under Bercerra, following her to her federal appointment as her first clerk.
"Miami Law helped me achieve this milestone by allowing me to explore possibilities that I had never imagined," said Vazquez. "During my time at Miami Law, I was able to take advantage of opportunities that later translated into experiences at big law and clerking, which ultimately led me to the Fellows Program," said Vazquez.
The Supreme Court Fellows Program, founded in 1973, offers mid-career professionals, recent law school graduates, and doctoral degree holders from the law and political science fields an opportunity to broaden their understanding of the judicial system through exposure to federal court administration.
"Jose is a wonderful person and has been a great clerk," said Jordan. "I'm very excited that he will be a Supreme Court fellow and look forward to seeing him excel in that role."
The Supreme Court Fellows Commission selects four talented individuals to work for one of four federal judiciary agencies for a yearlong appointment in Washington, D.C.
The fellows gain practical experience in judicial administration, policy development, and education. According to the court, they also benefit from time to study and write and a vantage point to develop an academic research agenda.
"We are very proud of Jose for receiving this prestigious fellowship," said David Yellen, dean and M. Minnette Massey Professor of Law. "He will have an amazing experience working at the Supreme Court."
Read more about Miami Law's Litigation Skills Program
Read more about Miami Law's clinics
