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“Mr. Chief Justice of the Court, I move the admission of Shea Marie Holman Kilian of the bar of the District of Columbia; I am satisfied she possess the necessary qualifications.”
And with that, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts granted the motion and swore in Holman, her professional last name, an assistant professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, to the highest legal bar in the country. The distinction, awarded November 3, gives Holman the right to argue cases before the Court, participate in ceremonial functions, and freely use the title of “Member of the Supreme Court Bar.”
While this is a career-defining credential, Holman said, the reason she pursued the distinction—fewer than 70 attorneys are admitted to the SCOTUS Bar each year—was to gain access to the Court and the Court’s research library for her students, particularly those in the Schar School’s Jurisprudence Learning Community (JPLC). Holman is director of the JPLC.
“One of my goals in going through this process is to try to break down the barriers to access to the Supreme Court,” she said. “I hope to take [my students] on a trip to the Supreme Court in the spring as part of our ‘JPLC in Washington, D.C.’ field trip.”
Holman, who recently moderated a panel discussion about the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election with Distinguished Visiting Professor and former Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) and Professor of Practice and former State Delegate David Ramadan (R), was sponsored for the SCOTUS Bar by former JPLC Director Ally Coll, now an associate professor at the City University of New York School of Law, and mentor Michelle Kallen, former Solicitor General of Virginia and now a partner with the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Steptoe, where she chairs the Appeals and Advocacy practice.
“Both are incredible lawyers and advocates who have supported me throughout my legal journey,” Holman said. “Michelle regularly litigates matters in the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Virginia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the Eastern District of Virginia, and other state and federal courts. She also served as lead counsel in the commonwealth’s election matters and in litigation to certify and publish the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”
As the official movant—the party who makes the motion before the Court—Kallen’s support included vouching for Kilian’s moral and professional character as well as making the motion before the Justices. After the swearing in, Holman stayed after the ceremony to witness oral arguments for what she called a “niche legal case” which she found nonetheless “an eye-opening experience.”
Now that she’s sworn in and has permission to advocate before the court, would she?
“If the right case came along, I wouldn't say no!” she said. “Watching other attorneys in conversation with the Justices about complex legal issues helped me realize that this is something I am equipped to do.”