2008-2009 Supreme Court Fellows

Melissa Aubin joins the Supreme Court Fellows Program from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon where she is a staff attorney for Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Coffin.  Ms. Aubin holds a B.A. in classics and religion from the University of Florida, an M.A. and Ph.D. in religion from Duke University, and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law.  Before starting her legal career, Ms. Aubin was an assistant professor at Florida State University in the Department of Religion.  After law school, Ms. Aubin was a law clerk to Judge David Schuman on the Oregon Court of Appeals.  In addition to working for both Judge Schuman and Judge Coffin, Ms. Aubin has been a legal researcher for Professor Laird Kirkpatrick of the University of Oregon School of Law.  Ms. Aubin is currently part of a team that is evaluating the District of Oregon Drug Court, a reentry program for drug offenders.  She serves on the Boards of Directors for the Relief Nursery and Oregon’s Federal Bar Association.  Ms. Aubin will be the fellow at the Supreme Court of the United States.

Timothy F. Averill joins the Supreme Court Fellows Program from the Louisiana Supreme Court where he works in a dual capacity as an administrator and general counsel.  Mr. Averill holds a B.A. in English from James Madison University, an M.P.A. from the University of Alabama, and a J.D. from Loyola University School of Law.  Following law school, Mr. Averill engaged in the private practice of law, principally in the field of maritime insurance defense.  Mr. Averill also clerked for then Associate Justice Pascal Calogero, Jr., of the Louisiana Supreme Court before beginning his present employment at the Court, where he has served for 19 years.  Mr. Averill also teaches legal and maritime terminology to court reporting students, and he has written articles on legal and ethical issues of importance to court reporters.  Mr. Averill will be the fellow at the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.

Benjamin C. McMurray comes to the Supreme Court Fellows Program from the Utah Federal Defender’s Office, where his most recent assignment has been to serve as special counsel to the United States Sentencing Commission.  Mr. McMurray holds a B.A. in philosophy from Brigham Young University and a J.D. from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University.  Following law school, Mr. McMurray was a judicial clerk to Judge Paul G. Cassell on the United States District Court for the District of Utah and Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.  Mr. McMurray has written several articles on sentencing issues and has taught criminal procedure as an adjunct professor.  He is also on the board of directors of the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center in Salt Lake City.  Mr. McMurray will be the fellow at the United States Sentencing Commission.

Shawna J. Wilson comes to the Supreme Court Fellows Program from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) where she is a senior rule of law advisor in the Europe and Eurasia Bureau.  Ms. Wilson holds a B.A. in international relations from George Washington University and a J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law.  Ms. Wilson also took courses in international and Russian constitutional law from the Saratov Legal Academy in Russia.  Prior to obtaining her law degree, Ms. Wilson spent several years working with the Eurasia Foundation on economic and democratic reform projects throughout the former Soviet Union.  Since law school, Ms. Wilson has been at USAID in various capacities.  In her current position as senior rule of law advisor, she works on judicial reform, legal education, legal profession reform, and court administration in Europe and Eurasia.  Previously, Ms. Wilson was a senior democracy advisor in Central Asia and Bosnia-Herzegovina focusing on rule of law, human rights, and anti-corruption and anti-trafficking activities.  Ms. Wilson will be the fellow at the Federal Judicial Center.

"My Supreme Court Fellowship remains one of the most meaningful times of my life. The opportunity to be part of a living history and to be at the epicenter of one of this nation’s most important and enduring institutions provided me a unique experience to both grow and learn lessons that serve me well today."

Gordon Gee