Pipeline for Female Supreme Court Advocates Shows Some Cracks

Covington & Burling’s Beth Brinkmann is a bit of an anomaly in the legal world.

While many lawyers dream of arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court, Brinkmann has argued there 25 times, notching another win in February.

In many ways, she is typical of veteran oral advocates before the high court. She went to an elite law school, clerked on both the Supreme Court and a federal court of appeals, and worked in the solicitor general’s office. She is an equity partner in private practice and the co-chair of her firm’s appellate and Supreme Court litigation group.

But she’s set ...