One complete sentence. That was all David Mills ’99 had the chance to utter on the morning of Nov. 1, 2010, before John G. Roberts, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, interjected.
Although he had spent weeks rewriting and perfecting the first few sentences of his opening argument, Mills was not rattled by the interruption.
The 33-year-old attorney knew every detail of his case, Ortiz v. Jordan, and he believed his client deserved justice. For the next 27 minutes, as Mills stood at the U.S. Supreme Court podium in a navy blue suit, the justices fired questions at him and he answered with confidence.
Behind Mills sat an intent audience of approximately 150 people, including his client, Michelle Ortiz, as well as his family and friends.
This day was a long time coming for a woman who felt like she had been assaulted not only by her assailant, but also by the legal system, and she was overcome by an emotional tidal wave as the circumstances of her hardship were rehashed.
Read Aleta Mayne’s complete profile of this young attorney and his courtroom triumph in The Colgate Scene.