Tax Court Judge, Clerks Beat Life-Tenured Peers in Annual Race

Article I courts notched a victory over their Article III counterparts at the ACLI Capital Challenge, an annual Washington road race that dates back to 1981.

A team from the US Tax Court was fastest of 22 judicial teams that participated in the event, led by Judge Jeffrey Arbeit, whose time of 17:00 flat over the flat three-mile course was also good for sixth overall. The team took the name “540EZ.”

Judge Amir Ali of the US District Court for the District of Columbia and clerks from that court took second place among judicial teams.

The Federal Circuit, a D.C.-based appeals court with exclusive jurisdiction over patent cases, laid claim to the fastest appellate team. A group that included Judge Kara F. Stoll placed third in that category. Seven spots back was a team helmed by Stoll’s Federal Circuit colleague Judge Raymond T. Chen’s whose “Learned Feet” team is a play on the name of famed and influential jurist Learned Hand.

The fastest individual Article III judge appeared to be Bradley Garcia of the D.C. Circuit, who logged a 20:35 time.

The fastest—and only—Supreme Court justice in the race this year was Ketanji Brown Jackson, who finished the race in 36 minutes even. Her team name “Lovely Run” is an apparent reference to her memoir titled “Lovely One.”

Last year, Justice Brett Kavanaugh finished in 24:20 while Justice Amy Coney Barrett had a time of 26:09. Both got beat by then Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar (22:23).

Other judges participating in the race this year included Tanya Chutkan (27:54) of the D.C. District Court as well as Patricia Millett (44:54) and Cornelia Pillard (26:05) of the D.C. Circuit.