February 2, 2026
Dear Magical Team,
A number of significant events have taken place since the last edition of WebChambers on August 25, 2025. Among them are the following:
October sitting in Pasadena. On October 6 and 7, the currrent crew and I were in Pasadena, California for my sitting as a visiting judge with the Ninth Circuit. I sat with Judges Ronald Gould and Kim Wardlaw on October 6, and with Judges Wardlaw and Lucy Koh on October 7. This was my 24th sitting with the Ninth Circuit over the past 16 years.
December sitting in Cincinnati. On December 9-11, the clerks and I were in Cincinnati for the team's first experience at the Sixth Circuit courthouse. I sat with Judges Alice Batchelder and Joan Larsen. We had a panel dinner with the two of them and their clerks on the evening before oral arguments. While in Cincinnati, we also attended a very nice court-sponsored holiday reception in the late afternoon on December 10 and had breakfast the next morning at First Watch with local Magical Team member Marcey Grigsby (Team 11, 2007-2008).
January sitting in Cincinnati snowed out. The massive winter storm that hit much of the country starting on January 23 prevented us from getting to Cincinnati for my scheduled sitting on January 28. I therefore had to participate by Zoom with panel Judges Richard Griffin and Eric Murphy. The sitting proceeded smoothly thanks to modern technology, but we missed getting together for a panel dinner and having breakfast at First Watch.
Selection of future clerks. The process of selecting Magical Team 30 (can you believe it?!) began in December. From a field of 100 applicants, Director of Admissions Alex and her co-clerk Jared helped me pick six finalists to be interviewed. Two from that group dropped out prior to the Zoom interviews in January, four were interviewed, and the following two emerged as Magical Team 30:
Fatima Ladha graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in English Literature and African-American Studies and received her J.D. from the Berkeley School of Law. At Berkeley, she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the California Law Review. Fatima's prior experience includes being a law clerk for The Honorable Richard Seeborg, the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. She is currently an associate at Girard Sharp in San Francisco.
Alex Siegal graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science. He is currently a 3L at Harvard Law School, where he is the Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Journal on Legislation and the recipient of several Dean's Scholar Prizes. Alex's experiences before law school include nearly two years working in the office of U.S. Congressman Chris Pappas (D. NH) as a scheduler and legislative assistant.
Gilmanfest 2026 on deck. Last year was billed as the 27th (and final) consecutive Gilmanfest, but a core group of Magical Team members have stepped up to plan at least one encore. (Chief Judge Betsy, JA Carol, and I feel very honored and appreciative of this effort.) The group is headed up by Diana Comes (Magical Team 16, 2012-2013), who is now the career clerk for Circuit Judge Kevin Ritz here in Memphis. Gilmanfest 2026 is set for the weekend of April 10-12, and I have been informed that Diana will be sending out a detailed invitation within the next two weeks.
OTHER NEWS
Sheila Menz (Team 19, 2015-2016) began employment last September as the first-ever General Counsel of Venus Aerospace Corp., which is based in Houston, Texas. The company focuses on rocket-propulsion technology, and its facility is located just across the airfield from NASA's Space Center. Shelia works remotely from her home in Colorado, with frequent visits to headquarters for meetings.
Caprice Roberts (Team 2, 1998-1999) is the Interim Dean at Louisana State University's School of Law in Baton Rouge. Last fall she was in Paris, France participating in a panel discussion focused on free speech and battling disinformation. The academic conference was held at Sorbonne University's law school.
Nate Swinton (Team 13, 2009-2010) has just begun a new job as Associate General Counsel for Cloudflare, an internet-services provider based in San Francisco. His specific task is to handle a wide range of domestic and international regulatory issues. Nate is working out of Cloudflare's D.C. office. In his work gap after leaving the U.S. Department of Commerce last summer, Nate embarked on a cross-country bicycle trip that started in San Diego, California, went through St. Augustine, Florida, and ended in Charleston, South Carolina. He covered the 3,100 mile route between September 14 and November 8. Near the end of the ride, he visited his co-clerk Mary Helen Wimberly (Team 13, 2009-2010) at her family's condo on Amelia Island, Florida.
Photos. To view several Magical Team photos, including one of Mary Helen and Nate, please click on "Photos" above.
Well gang, that's all the news for now. Please keep me advised of any significant events that you would like to have noted in a future edition of WebChambers.
Best wishes,
Judge G