Public seating in the U.S. Supreme Court courtroom is extremely limited. Space is available on a first-come, first-seated basis only after admissions groups. In hopes to obtain a seat inside, the public begins standing in line hours before arguments begin at 10 a.m.

Members of the Supreme Court bar have their own section in the courtroom. The bar section is also first-come, first-seated, but the line is typically much shorter.

According to the Court, “Attorneys who are admitted as members of the Supreme Court Bar may be seated in the chairs just beyond the bronze railing,” directly behind the arguing attorneys.

Bar members have access to the court’s library. Under Supreme Court Rule 2.1, only “appropriate” court personnel, bar members, “Members of Congress and their legal staffs, and attorneys for the United States and for federal departments and agencies,” may use the library.

There are two bar admission options—in court and written motion. Participating in-person is incredibly memorable as it includes an open-court admission ceremony, on an argument day, and before the entire Court.

During in-person P.A.D. Day, there are opportunities to meet and take pictures with one or more of the Justices, though this is never guaranteed.

A framed certificate of admission from the U.S. Supreme Court is a prestigious office decoration for attorneys. Certificates are mailed post-admission and post-ceremony and include options for custom framing direct from the Court.

Supreme Court bar admission can be an extremely meaningful accomplishment for a variety of reasons. We’ve seen decades of members being the first in their family, ethnic group, or country of origin to be admitted to the SCOTUS bar; some see it as a marker of success among their career goals; and some actually require it to bring cases before the Court.

Whatever the reason, SCOTUS bar admission is a meaningful, personal accomplishment to be cherished for a lifetime.