Center for Supreme Court Advocacy Initiatives

The NAAG Center for Supreme Court Advocacy supports state attorneys general in their work with the Supreme Court in the following ways.

Technical Assistance

The NAAG Center for Supreme Court Advocacy provides technical assistance to staff in state attorney general offices by:

• Conducting 15-25 moot courts each Supreme Court Term.
• Editing briefs filed by state attorneys general, including merits briefs, amicus briefs, cert petitions and replies, and briefs in oppositions.
• Providing amicus brief support.
• Hosting state attorney general staff as Fellows.
• Serving as liaison with the U.S. Solicitor General’s office and the U.S. Supreme Court Clerk’s office.
• Advising state attorneys general on Supreme Court procedure.
• Encouraging the creation of solicitor general units.
• Overseeing the NAAG Best Brief Awards given each year to the best briefs filed by state attorney general offices with the Supreme Court.

Publications and Resources

Educational materials published by the Center for Supreme Court Advocacy include:

• The Supreme Court Report
• Preparing Cert Petitions Manual
• Preparing Briefs in Opposition Manual
• U.S. Supreme Court Brief Writing Style Guide

In addition to educational publications and resources, the Supreme Court Center provides several forums for attorney general staff to exchange ideas and obtain information to improve each state’s appellate practice. These include:  

• State Solicitors General & Appellate Chiefs Conference 
• Supreme Court Seminar 

Fellowship Program

A small number of attorneys from attorney general offices are selected each year to spend three to four months with the Center for Supreme Court Advocacy obtaining hands-on exposure to Supreme Court practice. The Fellows attend oral arguments and moot courts, draft the Supreme Court Report, and prepare multistate amicus briefs. 

Contact Dan Schweitzer at dschweitzer@naag.org to learn more about the Fellowship program.