The Supremes

One of the cooler things about my school is proximity to Courts of all levels. Last year, I had to attend oral arguments at Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, a federal district court, and a California trial court. Today, I added the Supreme Court of California to my list.

Wow.

There is something very serious and real about watching death penalty appeal arguments before 7 justices. Today, I felt like a real lawyer-to-be, like what I was learning really mattered. Normally, I feel like the law matters, but not at such a ridiculous, awe-inspiring level. The attorneys were very prepared, animated, and engaging. The justices asked questions that I would have asked (curiosity for its own sake has a place behind the bench, apparently), and were generally well-prepared and interested in the issues they were hearing.

On a side note, the security was the strongest of any court I've visited. When I arrived, I watched 4 Southern-California-boy 1Ls get rejected at the second metal detector. Basically, the bouncers told them that their shoes weren't nice enough, and oh, the whole shorts and t-shirt thing didn't cut it. Amusingly, the girls they were with were admitted in tank-tops, bare midrifts, low-rise jeans with g-strings hanging out, and flip-flops. I had a flashback to my club-going days.

Wednesday Restaurant Review

Tonight E and I hit an old favorite, Celia's Mexican Restaurant. Chances are, if you live in a city in the San Francisco Bay area, there's a Celia's near you. There are way more than the one website implies.

A friend whose brother dated someone in the Celia's family told us that the recipes all come from grandma Celia and that all of the stores are owned by extended family. Regardless of the truth of this quaint idea, E&BT vouch for the consistency in quality between the 4 or so Celia's we've visited. For us, it's synonymous with authentic fare, excellent margaritas, and eating so much that we swear we'll never eat again. You should all try it.