Judicial Clerkship Opportunities for Native Students

Learn about clerkship opportunities for Native students from federal judges and law clerks. Open to all students.
About this Event

Timothy M. Reif is a judge on the United States Court of International Trade. The U.S. Court of International Trade, established under article III of the Constitution, has nationwide jurisdiction over civil actions arising out of the international trade laws of the United States.

From 2017 to 2019, Judge Reif served as Senior Advisor to the United States Trade Representative. From 2009 to 2017, he was the General Counsel for the Office of the United States Trade Representative in the Executive Office of the President. From 1998 to 2009, Judge Reif served as Chief International Trade Counsel for the Committee on Ways and Means in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to this appointment, Judge Reif worked as Special International Trade Counsel at Dewey Ballantine, LLP. From 1993 to 1995, Judge Reif served as Trade Counsel to the Ways and Means Committee. From 1989 to 1993, Judge Reif served as Associate General Counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Judge Reif also litigated or supervised the litigation of numerous disputes under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). From 1987 to 1989, Judge Reif served as Attorney-Advisor with the U.S. International Trade Commission. From 1985 to 1987, he served as an associate with the Washington office of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy.

Since 2015, Judge Reif has been Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School and has also served as Visiting Lecturer at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (2017, 2012, 2008, 2004) and at Georgetown Law School (1995-2007).

Judge Reif received his J.D. from Columbia Law School and his M.P.A. and A.B. degrees from Princeton University.

Judge Sara E. Hill was nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma by President Joseph R. Biden and received her commission on January 2, 2024. Prior to her service in the federal judiciary, Judge Hill served as the Attorney General for the Cherokee Nation, the largest federally recognized Indian tribe in the United States. Judge Hill is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and the first female Native American federal judge in Oklahoma history.

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
Nominated by Joseph R. Biden on October 24, 2023, to a seat vacated by Claire Eagan. Confirmed by the Senate on December 19, 2023, and commission issued on January 2, 2024.
Education:
Northeastern State University, B.A., 2000
University of Tulsa College of Law, J.D., 2003
Professional Career:
Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, 2004-2023; assistant attorney general, 2004-2014; deputy attorney general, 2014-2015; secretary of natural resources, 2015-2019; attorney general, 2019-2023
Special assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Oklahoma, 2014-2015
Private practice, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, 2023