Plus, 0% Interest for 48 months. Ends Monday.
>> MY NAME IS LAURA WOLK.
BECAUSE I’M COMPLETELY BLIND I
RELY HEAVILY ON ASSISTIVE
TECHNOLOGY.
I HAVE BEEN JUDGE BARRETT’S
STUDENTS ONLY FOR A FEW WEEKS
HER GRACIOUSNESS AND WARMTH GAVE
ME HOPE SHAH SHE COULD PROVIDE
ME WITH THAT ASSISTANCE.
SHE LISTENED TO MY SITUATION.
WHEN I FINISHED JUDGE BARRETT
LEANED FORWARD AND LOOKED AT ME
INTENTLY LAURA, SHE SAID, THIS
IS NO LONGER YOUR PROBLEM, IT’S
MY PROBLEM.
I CAN’T CAPTURE ADEQUATELY THE
RELIEF THAT WASHED OVER HERE AT
HER WORDS.
STEVE: THAT WAS YESTERDAY, LAURA
WOLK SHARING A POWERFUL STORY
ABOUT HER MENTOR JUDGE AMY CONEY
BARRETT BEFORE THE SENATE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
WOLK SAYS BARRETT HELPED PROPEL
HER TO BECOME THE FIRST BLIND
COME TO CLERK FOR THE U.S.
SUPREME COURT.
AND WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE HER
WITH US RIGHT NOW.
GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
STEVE: OKAY.
SO, WHEN AMY CONEY BARRETT SAID,
LAURA, IT’S NOT YOUR PROBLEM,
IT’S MY PROBLEM.
THEN WHAT SHE DID DO FOR YOU?
>> SO THAT’S THE BEAUTY OF IT.
I DON’T ACTUALLY KNOW.
AND SHE JUST BEHIND THE SCENES
TOOK CARE OF IT.
AND THAT’S MY STORY BUT THAT’S
HOW JUDGE BARRETT IS WITH
EVERYONE.
SHE J JUST FINDS PROBLEMS AND WI
SILENTLY TAKE CARE OF THEM.
NOT REALLY LOOKING FOR ANY
ACCOLADES OR ANYTHING FROM IT.
IT’S JUST THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
STEVE: BECAUSE YOU NEEDED THE
TECHNOLOGY, THE ASSISTIVE
TECHNOLOGY TO OPERATE ON THE
SAME LEVEL PLAYING FIELD WITH
YOUR SIGHTED PEERS, AND IT
WASN’T THERE.
>> CORRECT.
STEVE: SHE WAS YOUR FIXER,
ESSENTIALLY.
>> YEAH.
SHE, YOU KNOW, SHE WORKED WITH
THE SCHOOL.
THE ISSUE WAS IF I HAD DONE IT
MYSELF, IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN A
MUCH LONGER PERIOD OF TIME.
AND WHEN LAW SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY
YOUR FIRST SEMESTER, EVERY DAY
THAT YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO STUDY
AND KEEP UP IS JUST A HUGE
OBSTACLE SO THE FACT THAT SHE
WAS ABLE TO GET IT TAKEN CARE OF
WITHIN A MATTER OF DAYS INSTEAD
OF MAYBE UP TO A MONTH,
DEFINITELY SAVED MY FIRST
SEMESTER AND PUT ME ON THIS
TRACK.
I DON’T THINK THAT I WOULD BE
WHERE I AM IN MY CAREER RIGHT
NOW IF I HADN’T HAD A STRONG
START AT NOTRE DAME.
STEVE: SURE.
LAURA, AS WE LOOK AT YOU
YESTERDAY TESTIFYING, TELL US
ABOUT THAT BRAILLE DEVICE THAT
YOU ARE USING RIGHT THERE
BECAUSE THAT’S SOME OF THE
TECHNOLOGY YOU RELY UPON.
>> YES.
SO IT’S CALLED A BRAILLE
DISPLAY.
AND BASICALLY WHAT IT DOES IS
WHATEVER IS CURRENTLY ON THE --
AT THE TIME IN THE MONITOR OF A
COMPUTER OR EVEN YOUR PHONE
SCREEN, IT TAKES THAT TEXT AND
IT TRANSMITS INTO BRAILLE.
SO IT’S A REALLY WONDERFUL.
I RELY ON BRAILLE EXTREMELY
HEAVILY.
AND IT’S JUST A LIFE CHANGING
DEVICE BECAUSE YOU DON’T NEED TO
HAVE THINGS PRINTED OUT IN HARD
COPY ANYMORE.
IF IT’S DIGITAL AND CAN YOU
ACCESS IT ON THE COMPUTER CAN
YOU HAVE IT IN BRAILLE.
STEVE: YEAH.
WELL, OBVIOUSLY, AMY CONEY
BARRETT HELPED CHANGE YOUR LIFE
AND LOOK WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT
NOW.
YOU JUST WRAPPED UP, YOU KNOW,
CLERKING FOR THE U.S. SUPREME
COURT.
WHAT DO WE NOT KNOW ABOUT HER
AS -- WE HAVE BEEN HEARING A LOT
ABOUT HER VIEWS AND THINGS LIKE
THAT.
BUT WHAT DON’T WE KNOW ABOUT
HER?
>> I THINK THE REASON I WANTED
TO TESTIFY THE ALLEGATIONS
COMING FROM THE DEMOCRATIC
SENATORS IS GOING UNCHALLENGED
IS THIS IDEA THAT SHE DOES NOT
CARE.
THAT’S WHY I REALLY FELT LIKE I
NEEDED TO TELL MY STORY.
THERE HAS BEEN STATEMENTS THAT
SHE JUST DOESN’T CARE ABOUT THE
EFFECTS OF HER DECISIONS.
SHE DOESN’T CARE.
AND IT IT’S JUST NOT TRUE.
I WITNESSED THAT SO MANY OTHER
PEOPLE HAVE WITNESSED IT.
IN CLASS SHE SPECIFICALLY TOOK
TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT REREAD
ABOUT THE STORIES OF LITIGANTS
INVOLVED IN COURT CASES.
I DON’T THINK THERE ARE MANY
PROFESSORS WHO MAKE THEIR
STUDENTS LEARN THE NAMES OF AND
LIFE HISTORIES OF SOME PEOPLE
WHO HAVE BEEN VERY SERIOUSLY
IMPACTED BY SUPREME COURT
DECISIONS IF THEY DON’T CARE.
SO, THAT WAS WHY I FELT LIKE I
NEEDED TO SPEAK YESTERDAY.
STEVE: WELL, YOUR TESTIMONY WAS
SO GRIPPING AND SO POWERFUL.
YOU BLESSED THE SUPREME COURT
WITH YOUR CLERKSHIP AND NOW
WHAT’S NEXT FOR LAURA?
>> SO I WILL BE GOING BACK TO
STANDARD D.C. LAWYER LIFE.
AND I’M GOING TO BE HOPEFULLY
FOCUSING ON APPELLATE PRACTICE.
NO TRIAL COURTROOMS FOR ME.
STEVE: ALL RIGHT.
IT WAS A REAL PLEASURE TO MEET
YOU.
AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
SHARING YOUR STORY WITH ALL OF