NCLA Internship Spotlight
Jameson Payne
Summer Intern
University: Kent State University
Expected Graduation: 2022
Hometown: Twinsburg, OH
Campus Activities: Kent State Chess Club (Vice President), Research Assistant to the Dunietz Group for Quantum Chemistry
Hobbies: Chess, camping, scouting
What were your duties as an NCLA intern? My duties entailed a good mix of legal research and analysis, along with writing content for a more general audience. Some of the projects I did include writing a draft op-ed on the Vengalattore v. Cornell ruling, reading and indexing the amicus briefs filed by NCLA & other allied organizations for inclusion in a public ‘brief bank’, and writing content for the NCLA blog on our current cases.
What did you most enjoy about your internship? I appreciated the substantive nature of our assignments. A lot of my major tasks involved interacting with fascinating questions of law and public policy. Whereas some firms relegate their interns to doing grunt work, the NCLA really enables interns a meaningful participation in the cutting-edge litigation that’s going on.
What interesting thing(s) did you learn about Administrative Law? Although I was already aware of the structural threat posed by the modern administrative state, my time with the NCLA gave me exposure to real-life examples of how regulatory agencies often wield power in a capricious, liberty-jeopardizing manner. Learning about the details of things like speech-chilling SEC gag rules and court deference to harsh agency sentencing guidelines not approved by Congress really solidifies how concrete the threat of lawlessness is in the administrative state.
How might you use what you’ve learned later in your professional career? My time with the NCLA has certainly exposed me to legal theories and a mindset that I otherwise would have not come across in law school and practice. The stratagem against the administrative state that NCLA has taught me is something that I will carry on into my later career, in which I hope to practice appellate litigation.
Any advice for other students who want to intern at NCLA in the future? Be proactive! People are often happy to give you interesting projects if you just ask; the NCLA was also extremely accommodating of my passion projects around administrative law. The experience here is truly what you make of it, so don’t be afraid to talk to people, collaborate, and offer your assistance in any way you can.