Reps. Lofgren and Lungren Introduce Congressional Clerkship Bill

Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) and Dan Lungren (R-Gold River) today introduced legislation to create the Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Program. Named after the noted American orator and legislator, the program would create a pool of highly qualified law school graduates who would then be eligible to serve in House and Senate offices. Slots for eligible candidates would be evenly divided between minority and majority, with the program being managed by the Committee on House Administration and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. The program, which is similar to those already in place in both the Executive and Judicial Branches, gives talented young legal professionals an opportunity to participate first hand in the legislative process.

“The Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Program would allow some of the most gifted of our future leaders to serve in Congress,” noted Rep. Zoe Lofgren. “Many of our nation’s greatest leaders served as law clerks early in their careers. This legislation would put Congress on par with both the Executive and Judicial Branches who already offer clerkships to exemplary young lawyers.”

“The opportunity to be part of the legislative process and gain first hand knowledge will benefit both the Congress and the greater legal community in the future. Looking back I wish I could have participated in a program such as this when I was just out of law school,” Lungren said. “There are a lot of talented students graduating from our law schools and this clerkship program is the perfect vehicle for Congress to benefit from this pool of talent.”