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Court Administrative Officer Cover Letter Example

By Guest Author

A court administrative officer is someone with a keen interest in Law with excellent administration skills. In this role you would be involved in the day to day workings of a court and the offices dealing with the administration, people in courts etc.

You will need excellent communication for this role as you will be dealing with different people on a daily basis and sometimes this will be difficult situations so you will need to have a confident approach in your work.

If you feel that you are the right person for this role, please see the below cover letter as an example:

Court Administrative Officer Cover Letter

Dear Sir/Madam,

Application for a Court Administrative Officer (Job reference if known)

I would like to apply for the position of Court Administrative Officer which I have seen advertised in (where and when).

My previous experience consists of a general administrative and customer service role and I feel that the skills I have gained are transferable to this role.

I am an excellent communicator, having had a lot of experience of dealing with different people and some very irate customers at times and I have always remained confident and not phased by this. I have had a lot of experience in writing and checking documents, being involved in meetings and taking minutes, making appointments and re arranging ones that cannot be met, creating new systems and organising a busy team environment.

I feel that with my customer service background I have a diplomatic personality and always try to make a solution amicable wherever possible. I have excellent computer skills and am a fast learner for new programs and databases.

Having researched this role and always had a keen interest in being involved in Law, I would like to apply and feel that the skills I have already gained could be valuable to you.

If you would like any further information on my CV and experiences, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

NAME SURNAME

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Deputy Clerk Cover Letter Examples & Writing Tips

Use these Deputy Clerk cover letter examples and writing tips to help you write a powerful cover letter that will separate you from the competition.

Table Of Contents

• Deputy Clerk Example 1
• Deputy Clerk Example 2
• Deputy Clerk Example 3
• Cover Letter Writing Tips

Deputy clerks are responsible for a wide range of clerical duties in a courthouse. This includes preparing court documents, managing evidence, and overseeing jury duty.

To be successful in this role, you need excellent organizational skills and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Use these examples and tips to write a cover letter that will show hiring managers that you’re the perfect candidate for the job.

Deputy Clerk Cover Letter Example 1

I am excited to be applying for the Deputy Clerk position at the County Clerk’s office. I have more than five years of experience as a legal assistant and have worked extensively with the public. I believe that my skills and experience would be an excellent fit for this position and I am eager to contribute to the County Clerk’s office.

In my previous role as a Legal Assistant at the law firm of Smith and Jones, I was responsible for managing the front desk, greeting clients, and answering phones. I also assisted attorneys with preparing for court appearances, conducting legal research, and managing client files. I have experience with a variety of software programs, including the Microsoft Office Suite and Westlaw.

Most importantly, I have a passion for helping people. I pride myself on my ability to provide excellent customer service and build positive relationships with clients. I am confident that I can provide the same level of service and support to the County Clerk’s office.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon with more information about the Deputy Clerk position. I am eager to learn more about the County Clerk’s office and how I can contribute to its success.

Deputy Clerk Cover Letter Example 2

I am writing to apply for the Deputy Clerk position that was recently advertised on the company website. I am confident that I have the skills and qualifications that you are looking for, and I am eager to put my experience to work for your organization.

As you can see from my resume, I have more than three years of experience working as a Deputy Clerk. I have a deep understanding of the duties and responsibilities of this role, and I am confident that I am capable of delivering on the expectations of the position. I have a strong track record of success in this field, and I am confident that I can be a valuable asset to your team.

I am a hard-working and motivated individual who is always looking for new challenges and opportunities to learn. I am confident that I have the skills and qualifications to be a successful Deputy Clerk. I am eager to put my experience to work for your organization, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Deputy Clerk Cover Letter Example 3

I am writing to express my interest in the Deputy Clerk position that is currently available. I have been working as a Deputy Clerk for the past three years and have gained valuable experience in this field. My background includes working with the public, managing records, and providing customer service.

I have worked in both the private and public sectors. In my current position, I work directly with the public and provide them with information on how to obtain various permits and licenses. I also assist them with completing forms and filing documents. I enjoy interacting with people and helping them find what they are looking for.

My previous experience has taught me how to manage records and how to organize information so it can be easily accessed by others. I have learned how to prioritize tasks so that I can complete them efficiently. I am also skilled at multitasking and can handle multiple projects at once.

I would like to thank you for your time and consideration of my application. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Deputy Clerk Cover Letter Writing Tips

1. show your interest in the job.

When applying for a job as a deputy clerk, it’s important to show your enthusiasm for the position. One way to do this is by talking about your previous experience and how it has prepared you for the job. You can also mention any skills or qualities that make you a good fit for the role.

2. Customize your cover letter

Since every court is different, it’s important to customize your cover letter for each job opening. This means that you should research the court you’re applying to and find out what their specific needs are. Once you have this information, you can highlight how your skills and experience match their needs.

3. Highlight your organizational skills

As a deputy clerk, you’ll be responsible for organizing and managing court files. To show hiring managers that you have the skills necessary for the job, highlight your organizational skills in your cover letter. For example, you can talk about how you’ve streamlined court processes in the past or how you’ve increased efficiency in the workplace.

4. Proofread your cover letter

One of the most important things you can do when applying for a job is to proofread your cover letter. This will help you catch any mistakes before you submit your application. It’s also a good idea to have someone else read your letter to check for errors.

Implementation Manager Cover Letter Examples & Writing Tips

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Court Officer Cover Letter Example

Get more job offers and learn how to improve your new cover letter with this modifiable Court Officer cover letter example. Use this cover letter example free of charge or modify it in any way using our HR-approved cover letter creator.

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Court Officer Cover Letter Example (Full Text Version)

Michelle Alcocer

Dear Sir/Madam,

As a highly skilled and experienced professional, I am excited to be applying for the Court Officer job within Albany County Court in Albany, NY. Not only I am confident that my qualifications make me an ideal fit for the role but I also believe that it would a great opportunity for me to further grow my career.

Throughout my professional life, I have demonstrated multiple times that I am adept at working both independently and in a team. Moreover, I have shown that I am a detail and accuracy oriented individual possessing exceptional analytical skills and important organizational abilities which are necessary for the position. At Lancaster County Court, I was known for my proactive approach and exceptional track record of completing all assigned tasks and projects in a timely manner. Besides performing various daily clerical duties, I was also in charge of developing and coordinating the court schedule and I communicated with witnesses and attorneys. Furthermore, I participated in the development and implementation of a new court filing system which decreased the court office expenses by 24% within just one year.

I am a Certified Office Manager with a bachelor's degree in Legal Studies from the Tulane University. At the university, I was provided with a great chance to collaborate and work closely with the biggest industry professionals from around the globe. I am a native Spanish speaker with a proficiency in English and German and the valuable experience with various crucial software programs, including eCourt, TrialDirector 360, Incode, FastCourt, and CMS 360. Offering exceptional multitasking skills and an extraordinary ability to think critically and solve complex problems, I believe I could become a great addition to your team. I would be delighted to meet with you in person to discuss my background in more detail.

Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Kind regards,

Milan Šaržík, CPRW

Milan’s work-life has been centered around job search for the past three years. He is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW™) as well as an active member of the Professional Association of Résumé Writers & Careers Coaches (PARWCC™). Milan holds a record for creating the most career document samples for our help center – until today, he has written more than 500 resumes and cover letters for positions across various industries. On top of that, Milan has completed studies at multiple well-known institutions, including Harvard University, University of Glasgow, and Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

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Law Clerk / Legal Clerk Office Staff Facilities Manager Administration Legal Secretary Personal Assistant Counselor Attorney Lawyer / Advocate Legal Administrative Assistant Front Desk Receptionist

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Court administrative officer cover letter example.

If you are looking to work as a Court Administrative Officer then you may be looking at a route into the legal profession. A court administrative officer helps with the day to day running of a busy court and the offices working from the courts.

You will need to be organised and pay great attention to detail in your work and be able to multi-task.

Administrative assistants can earn between £18,500 and £26,000 a year. Once you have more experience at your job then the earning will be higher. Different skills, qualifications and management duties will also increase the income from this job. Administrative officers can earn between £15,500 and £19,000 a year.

If you are looking to write a covering letter to go with your CV, please see the below example:

Court Administrative Officer Cover Letter

Mr. A. Employee 1, My House Any Street This Town PO57 3DE

Mrs. A. Manager The Company Employment Street That Town PO57 3DE

Dear Sir/Madam,

Application for the role of Court Administrative Officer

I would like to apply for the role of Court Administrative Officer which I have seen advertised in (where) and (when).

I have always had a keen interest in the legal profession and the courts and I feel that with the experiences I have gained to date that I would make a good Court Administrative Officer.

Having researched the role I understand that I will be expected to deal with the general public on the telephone and face to face, be able to book in court times and provide advice to people as they need it. I will need to make sure that the courts have the correct documentation for each case and that the courtrooms and waiting areas are kept clean and risk-free.

I have had previous experience in minute taking and believe that I could take accurate notes for the legal professionals and any general admin including issuing fines and ensuring that these are paid.

I like to have a challenging and varied role and I believe that this is the right career choice for me.

I have enclosed my CV which shows in detail my skills and experiences. Should you be interested in my details, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

NAME SURNAME

Good luck with your application and writing your letter.

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Administrator cover letter examples

A role as an administrator is rarely dull. So if you’re looking for a varied and fast-paced position, this could be perfect for you.

But before you can get started, you need to land the job. And before you can do that, you need to land the interview.

So, to help you write an impressive application that’s bound to get you noticed, we’ve put together our top tips and some administrator cover letter examples. Check them out below.

CV templates 

Administrator cover letter example 1

Administrator cover letter example 2

Administrator cover letter example 3

These 3 Administrator cover letter examples will provide you with some good ideas on how to format a cover letter, along with the type of message you should be trying to put across to recruiters .

To further understand exactly how you can write a cover letter that will get you noticed, check out our further guidance.

How to write a Administrator cover letter

Here’s how you can write your own eye-catching cover letter, broken down into simple steps.

Write your cover letter in the body of an email/message

Type the content of your cover letter directly into the email you are sending, or if you are applying via a job board, directly into their messaging system.

The reason for doing this it to ensure that your cover letter gets seen instantly and you can start connecting with the recruiter as soon as they open your message.

If you attach your cover letter as a separate document, the recipient will have to open up the document, which will slow the process down, or make them less likely to even open your cover letter – which could mean your application gets skipped over.

Start with a friendly greeting

To start building rapport with the recruiter or hiring manager right away, lead with a friendly greeting.

Try to strike a balance between professional and personable.

Go with something like…

• Hi [insert recruiter name]
• Hi [insert department/team name]

Stay away from old-fashioned greetings like “Dear sir/madam ” unless applying to very formal companies – they can come across as cold and robotic.

How to find the contact’s name?

Addressing the recruitment contact by name is an excellent way to start building a strong relationship. If it is not listed in the job advert, try to uncover it via these methods.

• Check out the company website and look at their  About page. If you see a hiring manager, HR person or internal recruiter, use their name. You could also try to figure out who would be your manager in the role and use their name.
• Head to LinkedIn , search for the company and scan through the list of employees. Most professionals are on LinkedIn these days, so this is a good bet.

Identify the role you are applying for

Once you’ve opened up the cover letter with a warm greeting to start building a relationship, it is time to identify which role you want to apply for.

Recruiters are often managing multiple vacancies, so you need to ensure you apply to the correct one.

Be very specific and use a reference number if you can find one.

• I am interested in applying for the position of Administrator with your company.
• I would like to apply for the role of Sales assistant (Ref: 406f57393)
• I would like to express my interest in the customer service vacancy within your retail department
• I saw your advert for a junior project manager on Reed and would like to apply for the role.

See also: CV examples – how to write a CV – CV profiles

Highlight your suitability

The sole objective of your cover letter is to motivate recruiters into to opening your CV. And you achieve this by quickly explaining your suitability to the roles you are applying for.

Take a look at the job descriptions you are applying to, and make note of the most important skills and qualifications being asked for.

Then, when crafting your cover letter, make your suitability the central focus.

Explain why you are the best qualified candidate, and why you are so well suited to carry out the job.

This will give recruiters all the encouragement they need to open your CV and consider you for the job.

Keep it short and sharp

A good cover letter is short and sharp, getting to the point quickly with just enough information to grab the attention of recruiters.

Ideally your cover letter should be around 4-8 sentences long – anything longer will risk losing the attention of time-strapped recruiters and hiring managers .

Essentially you need to include just enough information to persuade the reader to open up your CV, where the in-depth details will sit.

Sign off professionally

To finish off your cover note, add a professional signature to the bottom, stating your important contact details and information.

This not only provides recruiters with multiple means of contacting you, but it also adds a nice professional appearance to the cover letter, which shows that you know how to conduct yourself in the workplace.

Include the following points;

• A friendly sign off – e.g. “Warm regards”
• Your full name
• Phone number (one you can answer quickly)
• Email address
• Profession title
• Professional social network – e.g. LinkedIn

Here is an example signature;

Warm regards,

Aaron Smith Customer service professional 075557437373 [email protected] LinkedIn

Quick tip : To save yourself from having to write your signature every time you send a job application, you can save it within your email drafts, or on a separate document that you could copy in.

What to include in your Administrator cover letter

So, what type of information should you write about in your Administrator cover letter?

The specifics will obviously depend on your profession and the jobs you are applying to, but these are the key areas you should be covering.

• Your industry experience – Tell recruiters the types of companies you have been working for and the roles you have held in the past.
• Your qualifications – Highlight your most important relevant qualifications to show employers you are qualified to do the roles you are applying for.
• The impact you have made – Demonstrate the positive impact you have made for employers in previous jobs. Have you saved money? Improved processes? Made customers happy?
• Your reasons for moving – Employers will want to know why you are leaving your current/previous role, so provide them with a brief explanation here.
• Your availability – When will you be able to start a new job ? Check your current contract to find out your notice period if you are in a position already.

Administrator cover letter templates

Copy and paste these Administrator cover letter templates to get a head start on your own.

Good morning, Alice

Please see attached my CV in application for the Administrator vacancy advertised on Indeed. As a dedicated professional with a demonstrated track record in school administration and leadership, I am excited about the opportunity to contribute my skills and experience to support the growth and success of your esteemed institution.

With 10 years overall experience, and 5 of those in my present role as an Administrator at Newham Sixth Form College, I contributed towards transforming the school into a vibrant and inclusive learning community. By fostering a positive climate and implementing data-driven initiatives, I increased student retention and parent satisfaction by 30%+, slashed expenses by 45% through diligently managing budgets while maintaining high educational resource standards and boosted community engagement by 70%.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss further how my qualifications align with the needs of St. Michael’s Catholic College. Thank you for your consideration.

Kind regards

Nicky Bullard ¦ 07777777777 ¦ [email protected]

Good morning, Matthew

I am writing to submit my application for the position of Senior Administrator at the University of Manchester. As a passionate and committed individual with 18+ years of experience and a track record of fostering academic excellence, nurturing a positive school culture, and facilitating staff development, I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of your institution.

I have gained valuable insights into the complexities of higher education and the importance of creating an environment that supports growth, innovation, and inclusivity. In my current role as an Administrator, I have continuously facilitated positive change and enhanced Durham University’s reputation.

Some notable achievements I would like to mention include contributing to a 43% increase in research funding and academic program offerings, implementing student success initiatives that boosted graduation rates by 28% within 7 years, and creating professional development workshops for faculty which led to the adoption of novel teaching methods and augmented scholar satisfaction by 50%.

With all my experience and an MA in School Administration, I hope that you recognise my enthusiasm and will consider me for the position.

Becky Goldbridge ¦ 07777777777 ¦ [email protected]

Hello Debbie

I am interested applying for the Graduate Administrator position at Bigland Green Primary School. As a recent graduate with a passion for education and a strong commitment to student success, I believe that my academic background and dedication make me an ideal candidate for this role.

I completed my bachelor’s degree in education leadership (Hons) from the University of Cambridge, where I obtained 5 distinctions. Throughout my academic journey, I have consistently demonstrated exceptional academic performance and gained valuable insights into the latest trends and best practices in school management. My coursework has equipped me with a comprehensive understanding of teaching policies and curriculum development, which I am eager to apply in a real-world setting.

During my studies, I served as a member of various societies and collaborated with fellow students and faculty in organising professional development workshops which encouraged continuous learning and growth among aspiring instructors.

I feel that my knowledge fits perfectly with the requirements you are looking for in a candidate, and I am available for an interview at your convenience.

Brian Keane ¦ 07777777777 ¦ [email protected]

Writing a strong attention-grabbing cover letter is a vital step in landing a good Administrator job.

Use the tips, strategies and examples above to get more responses from you job applications and start lining job interview up.

Good luck with your job search!

• ResumeBuild
• Deputy Court Clerk

5 Amazing deputy court clerk Resume Examples (Updated 2023) + Skills & Job Descriptions

Build your resume in 15 minutes, deputy court clerk: resume samples & writing guide, richard foster, professional summary, employment history.

• Compile and prepare statistical reports
• Operate office equipment, such as computers, scanners, and photocopiers
• Maintain court calendars and case files
• Ensure accuracy of court documents
• Perform general office duties, such as data entry and filing
• Process court documents, such as summons, complaints, motions, and subpoenas
• Prepare and distribute jury instructions
• Assist in courtroom proceedings

Do you already have a resume? Use our PDF converter and edit your resume.

Brad Wilson

• Prepare court orders and judgments
• Collect payments, fines, and fees
• File and retrieve court documents
• Prepare dockets and other court records

Xavier Quinn

• Schedule court hearings and trials
• Answer inquiries from the public, attorneys, and court staff

Not in love with this template? Browse our full library of resume templates

Table of Content

• Introduction
• Resume Samples & Writing Guide
• Resume Example 1
• Resume Example 2
• Resume Example 3
• Resume Example 4
• Resume Example 5
• Jobs Description
• Jobs Skills
• Technical Skills
• Soft Skills
• How to Improve Your Resume
• How to Optimize Your Resume
• Cover Letter Example

deputy court clerk Job Skills

For an deputy court clerk position, your job skills are a key factor in demonstrating your value to the company and showing recruiters that you're the ight fit for the role. It's important to be specific when highlighting your skills and ensure that they are directly aligned with the job requirements, as this can greatly improve your chances of being hired. By showcasing your relevant skills and experience, you can make a compelling case for why you're the best candidate for the job.

How to include technical skills in your resume:

Technical skills are a set of specialized abilities and knowledge required to perform a particular job effectively. Some examples of technical skills are data analysis, project management, software proficiency, and programming languages, to name a few. Add the technical skills that will get hired in your career field with our simple-to-use resume builder. Select your desired resume template, once you reach the skills section of the builder, manually write in the skill or simply click on "Add more skills". This will automatically generate the best skills for your career field, choose your skill level, and hit "Save & Next."

• Word Processing
• Document Management
• Record Keeping
• Microsoft Office
• Office Administration
• Calendar Management
• Data Analysis
• Customer Service
• Document Review
• Data Management
• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• Database Management
• Records Management
• Cash Handling
• Legal Documentation

How to include soft skills in your resume:

Soft skills are non-technical skills that relate to how you work and that can be used in any job. Including soft skills such as time management, creative thinking, teamwork, and conflict resolution demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and show that you navigate challenges and changes in the workplace efficiently. Add competitive soft skills to make your resume stand-out to recruiters! Simply select your preferred resume template in the skills section, enter the skills manually or use the "Add more skills" option. Our resume builder will generate the most relevant soft skills for your career path. Choose your proficiency level for each skill, and then click "Save & Next" to proceed to the next section.

• Communication
• Interpersonal
• Time Management
• Problem Solving
• Decision Making
• Critical Thinking
• Adaptability
• Organization
• Public Speaking
• Negotiation
• Conflict Resolution
• Attention to Detail
• Self-Motivation
• Stress Management
• Collaboration
• Strategic Thinking
• Emotional Intelligence
• Flexibility
• Reliability
• Professionalism
• Computer Literacy
• Project Management
• Presentation
• Written Communication
• Social Media
• Troubleshooting
• Quality Assurance
• Supervisory
• Risk Management
• Documentation
• Financial Management
• Visualization
• Business Acumen
• Process Improvement
• Relationship Management.

How to Improve Your deputy court clerk Resume

Navigating resume pitfalls can mean the difference between landing an interview or not. Missing job descriptions or unexplained work history gaps can cause recruiters to hesitate. Let's not even talk about the impact of bad grammar, and forgetting your contact info could leave your potential employer hanging. Aim to be comprehensive, concise, and accurate.

Percy Adams

• Prepare court transcripts

Provide your Contact Information and Address Year Gaps

Always explain any gaps in your work history to your advantage..

• Employers want to know what you've accomplished, so make sure to explain any gaps using a professional summary.
• Adding extra details and context to explain why you have a gap in your work history shows employers you are a good fit for the position.

How to Optimize Your deputy court clerk Resume

Keep an eye out for these resume traps. Neglecting to detail your job roles or explain gaps in your career can lead to unnecessary doubts. Grammar blunders can reflect negatively on you, and without contact information, how can employers reach you? Be meticulous and complete.

Andrew Nelson

• Schedule court hearings and trialls
• Assist in court-room proceedures
• Answer inquirys from the public, attornies, and court staff.
• Maintaine court calenders and case files
• Prepareing court orders and judgements
• Schedualing court hearings and trials
• ""I went to the store to buy some food.
• I went too the store to buy some food.

Include Job Descriptions and Avoid Bad Grammar

Avoid sending a wrong first impression by proofreading your resume..

• Spelling and typos are the most common mistakes recruiters see in resumes and by simply avoiding them you can move ahead on the hiring process.
• Before submitting your resume, double check to avoid typos.

deputy court clerk Cover Letter Example

A cover letter can be a valuable addition to your job application when applying for an deputy court clerk position. Cover letters provide a concise summary of your qualifications, skills, and experience, also it also gives you an opportunity to explain why you're the best fit for the job. Crafting a cover letter that showcases your relevant experience and enthusiasm for the Accounts Payable role can significantly improve your chances of securing an interview.

Greetings Google Hiring Team

I am excited to apply for the Senior Deputy Court Clerk role at Google. As a highly skilled Deputy Court Clerk, I am confident that I have the necessary experience and abilities to make a valuable contribution to your organization.

As someone who has faced challenges in various areas of my life and has overcome them, I am confident in my ability to adapt and thrive in any environment. I have developed a reputation for being a collaborative team player and an effective problem solver, which has been instrumental in my career's success. With my experience and passion for Administrative & Clerical, I am excited to apply my skills to this role and contribute to your organization's growth and success.

Thank you for considering my application for the Senior Deputy Court Clerk role at your organization. I am dedicated to continuous improvement, and elated about the opportunity to join your team and work towards achieving our shared goals together.

Showcase your most significant accomplishments and qualifications with this cover letter. Personalize this cover letter in just few minutes with our user-friendly tool!

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Deputy Court Clerk Resume Examples

The Deputy Court Clerk role is an important one in the legal system. They are responsible for a variety of tasks, including providing support to judges, maintaining court records, and helping to manage court proceedings. Writing a strong resume is the key to success when applying for the position of Deputy Court Clerk. With the right information and guidance, you can make sure that your resume stands out from the crowd and captures the attention of hiring managers. This guide provides a comprehensive look at resume writing for Deputy Court Clerk positions, including tips and examples to help you create a compelling and effective resume.

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Deputy Court Clerk

123 Main Street | Anytown, USA 99999 | Phone: (123) 456-7890 | Email: [email protected]

I am an experienced and professional Deputy Court Clerk with expertise in court proceedings, data entry, and customer service. I am highly organized and detail- oriented, an excellent problem solver, and adept at quickly learning new processes. I have the skills necessary to work with diverse groups of people effectively and efficiently. With my strong administrative and communication skills, I am confident that I can be a valuable addition to any court system.

Core Skills :

• Court proceedings and terminology
• Data entry and records management
• Customer service and conflict resolution
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• Professional interaction with clients
• Knowledge of legal and ethical procedures

Professional Experience : Deputy Court Clerk, County Court, May 2018 – Present

• Preparing court documents and filing them accurately
• Answering customer inquiries, providing information, and resolving conflicts
• Assisting in maintaining the records of court proceedings
• Helping to prepare documents and other materials for trial
• Maintaining the security of the court
• Managing the docket and entering data into the computer system

Education : B.S. in Criminal Justice, University of California, June 2017

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Deputy Court Clerk Resume with No Experience

Recent graduate with excellent interpersonal skills and strong organizational abilities. I am looking to utilize my knowledge and skills in the position of Deputy Court Clerk. I have experience in customer service, data entry, and office administration, and am eager to learn more.

• Document organization
• Office management
• Customer service
• Administrative support
• Computer literacy
• Strong organizational skills
• Interpersonal skills

Responsibilities

• Manage incoming and outgoing court documents
• Ensure accuracy of court records
• Process and file court documents
• Carry out administrative duties such as scanning, faxing, filing and photocopying
• Answer phone calls and respond to inquiries
• Provide support to court staff
• Coordinate with other court staff and personnel
• Ensure all court proceedings are conducted in accordance with established regulations
• Monitor data entry activities to ensure accuracy and timeliness of entries
• Maintain records of court proceedings and ensure confidentiality of sensitive information

Experience 0 Years

Level Junior

Education Bachelor’s

Deputy Court Clerk Resume with 2 Years of Experience

Results- driven Deputy Court Clerk with two years of experience in data entry, document filing, and office management. Experienced in providing administrative support in court proceedings, preparing court documents, and maintaining court records. Highly organized, detail- oriented, and resourceful in developing efficient processes to streamline operations and improve customer service.

• Administration
• Court Records Management
• Document Filing
• Document Preparation
• Office Management
• Problem Resolution
• Customer Service

Responsibilities :

• Processed court documents, entered data into the court database, and maintained docket sheets and court records.
• Prepared court documents such as court orders, subpoenas, summons, and judgments.
• Scheduled court proceedings, prepared calendar for judges, and managed case files.
• Managed incoming and outgoing mail, answered the phones, and responded to inquiries from the public.
• Processed payments and collected fees in accordance with court procedures.
• Facilitated courtroom proceedings by providing administrative support to the judges.
• Resolved customer complaints and provided exceptional customer service.
• Coordinated with the court staff to ensure completion of tasks and projects in a timely manner.

Experience 2+ Years

Deputy Court Clerk Resume with 5 Years of Experience

Diligent, organized, and detail- oriented Deputy Court Clerk with five years of experience in court filing systems and litigation administration. Skilled in providing administrative support to court staff while maintaining a professional demeanor and adhering to court policies and procedures. Adept at updating case files, maintaining court documentation, organizing materials, and providing customer service to attorneys, court staff, and defendants.

• Court filing systems
• Litigation administration
• Organizational skills
• Problem solving
• Attention to detail
• Communication
• Maintained and updated case files, court documentation, and materials
• Filed court documents in a timely and accurate manner
• Provided administrative support to court staff, including data entry, document preparation and filing
• Assisted attorneys, court staff, and defendants with requests and inquiries
• Answered phones and responded to emails in a timely manner
• Kept accurate records of court proceedings
• Assisted court staff with organizing and preparing courtrooms for trials and hearings

Experience 5+ Years

Level Senior

Deputy Court Clerk Resume with 7 Years of Experience

Skilled and experienced Deputy Court Clerk with seven years in the legal system. Proficient in researching court documents and managing client files. Able to handle a variety of responsibilities such as organizing and filing documents, providing courtroom support, preparing legal documents, and responding to inquiries. Committed to providing efficient and accurate service for both court personnel and the public.

• Document management and filing
• Court procedure and protocol
• Database management
• Legal document preparation
• Client communication
• Manage the filing of court documents including summons, writs, and motions
• Provide courtroom support, including providing assistance to judges and attorneys
• Prepare legal documents, such as affidavits and subpoenas
• Research and analyze client files and cases
• Communicate with clients to address inquiries and provide updates
• Maintain electronic and hard copy records
• Ensure accuracy of data entry
• Monitor court proceedings and ensure compliance with court rules and regulations

Experience 7+ Years

Deputy Court Clerk Resume with 10 Years of Experience

Highly experienced Deputy Court Clerk with more than 10 years of experience providing exceptional customer service and administrative support to court personnel and the public. Skilled in time management, organization, document management, and problem- solving. Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and tact. Adept at using court- specific software and management systems, including Odyssey File & Serve and Microsoft Office Suite.

• Court Administration
• Document Management
• Time Management
• Problem Solving
• Software Applications
• Interpersonal Communication
• Decision Making
• Detail- Oriented
• Administrative Support
• Processed legal documents and maintained filing system.
• Received requests for court documents and responded to inquiries.
• Assisted in courtroom proceedings by recording court proceedings, annotating court orders, and ensuring accuracy of records.
• Managed court calendars and scheduled hearings.
• Prepared court documents, legal pleadings, and other documents as needed.
• Verified accuracy of all legal documents, court orders, and reports.
• Assisted in developing and implementing procedural changes.
• Ensured compliance with all court rules, regulations, and policies.
• Maintained security of sensitive court records and documents.
• Performed data entry, filing, and other clerical duties.

Experience 10+ Years

Level Senior Manager

Education Master’s

Deputy Court Clerk Resume with 15 Years of Experience

Highly organized and detail- oriented Deputy Court Clerk with 15 years of experience in providing excellent customer service, handling legal documentation, and taking accurate recordings of court proceedings. Adept at developing innovative techniques to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and increase accuracy of court record keeping. Possess excellent organizational and communication skills with a track record of success in providing efficient court clerk assistance.

• Knowledge of court administration
• Experience in data entry and filing
• Excellent research and problem- solving skills
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Proficient in using Microsoft Office and other software
• High aptitude to work in a fast- paced environment
• Providing assistance to the court in daily operations
• Recording court proceedings, rulings, and decisions
• Processing and filing legal documents in a timely and accurate manner
• Maintaining organized court records and files
• Handling customer inquiries and providing information regarding court processes
• Assisting with research, preparing legal documents and organizing court exhibits
• Entering data into court system in a timely and accurate manner
• Assisting with courtroom duties and performing administrative tasks as required

Experience 15+ Years

Level Director

In addition to this, be sure to check out our resume templates , resume formats ,  cover letter examples ,  job description , and  career advice  pages for more helpful tips and advice.

What should be included in a Deputy Court Clerk resume?

As a Deputy Court Clerk, your resume needs to be up to date and make an impact on potential employers. To make sure your resume stands out, consider including the following key points:

• Relevant work experience: Make sure to list any previous or current experience related to the Deputy Court Clerk position. This should include details about the tasks and responsibilities you had for each job.
• Administrative and customer service skills: As a Deputy Court Clerk, you need to be able to handle a wide range of administrative duties, as well as interact with clients in a professional and helpful manner. Make sure you highlight any customer service and administrative experience you have.
• Computer skills: Most court systems are now electronic, so it’s essential that you have computer skills. Make sure you list any computer programs you have experience with and any software you are familiar with.
• Education: In addition to your work experience, you should also list any educational qualifications that you have. This could include a degree or certificate relevant to the position.
• Language skills: If you speak more than one language fluently, make sure you list these on your resume. This can be a major asset for a Deputy Court Clerk position.

By including these points in your resume, you will be able to show potential employers that you have the skills and experience necessary for the position. Make sure to include any additional qualifications or experience that you think would be beneficial for the job.

What is a good summary for a Deputy Court Clerk resume?

A Deputy Court Clerk resume should provide a comprehensive summary of the applicant’s experience, qualifications, and skill set. It should be concise and highlight the individual’s unique skills, abilities, and job-related achievements.

The resume should begin with a profile that provides an overview of the individual’s experience and qualifications. It should include a summary of skills, such as filing, data entry, bookkeeping, and other related duties. It should also include a list of the certifications and educational qualifications the applicant has achieved.

In the work experience section, the resume should provide a timeline of the individual’s professional experience, including their current and past positions and duties performed. It should include a summary of the skills and abilities developed at each job.

Finally, the resume should include a list of the applicant’s professional affiliations and any awards or recognitions they have received. This section should be tailored to the job for which the individual is applying, highlighting the skills and qualifications that make them a good candidate for the position.

What is a good objective for a Deputy Court Clerk resume?

A Deputy Court Clerk is a vital part of the court system, providing administrative and clerical support to the Clerk of Court. As such, a successful resume should reflect a solid background in court operations, including knowledge of court rules, regulations, and procedures.

When writing a Deputy Court Clerk resume, it is important to have a clear and specific objective to showcase your skills and qualifications. A good objective should indicate your career aspirations and professional goals, as well as your qualifications and experience.

Below are some examples of good objectives that can be used for a Deputy Court Clerk resume:

• To utilize my experience in administrative, clerical, and customer service functions to provide efficient court operations in the role of Deputy Court Clerk.
• To apply my knowledge of court rules, regulations, and procedures to ensure accurate and timely processing of court documents in the role of Deputy Court Clerk.
• To employ my problem-solving and organizational skills to help ensure the smooth and successful running of court operations in the role of Deputy Court Clerk.
• To leverage my excellent communication skills and customer service experience to provide an exceptional level of service to court customers in the role of Deputy Court Clerk.
• To utilize my knowledge of computer software and databases to ensure accurate and timely processing of court documents in the role of Deputy Court Clerk.

How do you list Deputy Court Clerk skills on a resume?

The job of a Deputy Court Clerk requires a versatile skillset, and the ability to work in a team environment. When listing your Deputy Court Clerk experience and skills on your resume, make sure to emphasize the most relevant areas of expertise. Below are some of the most important skills to include on your resume:

• Data Entry: Deputy Court Clerks need to be able to quickly and accurately enter data into the court’s computer system.
• Case Management: Deputy Court Clerks need to be able to organize and manage the many different types of cases that come before the court.
• Oral and Written Communication: Deputy Court Clerks must be able to communicate effectively with judges, attorneys, and other court personnel.
• Legal Knowledge: Knowledge of the legal system and legal terminology is a must for any Deputy Court Clerk.
• Interpersonal Skills: The ability to work with a wide variety of people in a professional manner is essential for any Deputy Court Clerk.
• Time Management: Deputy Court Clerks need to be able to organize and prioritize their workload in a timely fashion.
• Problem Solving: Deputy Court Clerks must be able to think on their feet and come up with solutions to complex problems.
• Computer Skills: Deputy Court Clerks must be comfortable using computers to manage cases and other court-related tasks.

What skills should I put on my resume for Deputy Court Clerk?

When applying for a position as a Deputy Court Clerk, it is important to include the right skills on your resume to ensure you stand out to potential employers. Here are some of the key skills to include on your resume:

• Knowledge of Court System and Procedures: Having a thorough understanding of the court system and its procedures, such as filing and records management, is essential to the job.
• Excellent Communication Skills: Your ability to communicate professionally with both colleagues and the public is of paramount importance in this role.
• Strong Interpersonal Skills: Being able to build relationships and create a positive environment will be key to success in the role.
• Attention to Detail: Deputy Court Clerks must have an eye for detail, particularly when dealing with legal documents and information.
• Organizational Skills: You must be able to manage your time effectively and prioritize tasks on a daily basis.
• Computer Literacy: A good working knowledge of computer programs, such as Microsoft Office and other relevant software, is important for this role.
• Adaptability: Deputy Court Clerks must be able to quickly adjust to changing circumstances and handle unexpected tasks.

These are just some of the skills employers might look for when hiring a Deputy Court Clerk. Make sure to list any relevant experience and qualifications you may have that are related to the job, to ensure you get the attention of potential employers.

Key takeaways for an Deputy Court Clerk resume

The key takeaway for a Deputy Court Clerk resume is to highlight your administrative experience, organizational skills, and familiarity with court procedures. When creating your resume, make sure to demonstrate your in-depth knowledge of the court system, the ability to effectively handle confidential information, and the capacity to communicate with people from a variety of backgrounds.

When creating your resume, it is essential to include all professional experience related to the role of a Deputy Court Clerk, including any volunteer work or internships. Be sure to include any knowledge of legal terminology and processes, as well as any computer skills you may possess.

In addition to your professional experience, it is important to include any relevant qualifications, such as any certifications or awards you may have earned. You should also list any special skills you possess, such as problem-solving and decision-making.

Finally, be sure to include any community service activities or hobbies you may participate in. This will demonstrate to employers that you are a well-rounded individual and that you can bring a unique skillset to the table.

By following these key takeaways, you can ensure that your resume is an effective tool for landing a Deputy Court Clerk role. With the right knowledge and experience, you can present yourself as a qualified and dedicated professional.

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Deputy Clerk Cover Letter Examples

A great deputy clerk cover letter can help you stand out from the competition when applying for a job. Be sure to tailor your letter to the specific requirements listed in the job description, and highlight your most relevant or exceptional qualifications. The following deputy clerk cover letter example can give you some ideas on how to write your own letter.

or download as PDF

Cover Letter Example (Text)

Idonna Brancati

(158) 017-3331

[email protected]

Dear Babbi Kroyer,

I am writing to express my interest in the Deputy Clerk position as advertised. With five years of dedicated experience at the County Clerk's Office, I have honed my administrative and organizational skills in a demanding legal environment, which I am eager to bring to your esteemed team.

In my current role, I have had the opportunity to support a broad range of administrative operations, including maintaining court records, assisting with the preparation of legal documentation, and providing outstanding service to the public. My daily interactions with legal professionals and the community have equipped me with a strong understanding of legal procedures and the importance of meticulous record-keeping.

My commitment to excellence is evident in my ability to manage complex tasks efficiently. I have been recognized for my attention to detail, accuracy in handling sensitive information, and my proactive approach to resolving potential issues before they arise. These skills, combined with my ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines, make me a reliable asset to any team.

Moreover, my experience has also involved working closely with senior clerks and judges, which has provided me with a comprehensive insight into the judicial process. I have developed strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with various departments to ensure that all operations run smoothly.

I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to your organization and am confident that my experience and skills align well with the requirements of the Deputy Clerk position. I look forward to the possibility of discussing how I can support and enhance your team’s efforts.

Thank you for considering my application. I am looking forward to the opportunity to further discuss how my background, skills, and enthusiasms will be a perfect fit for your office.

Warm regards,

Related Cover Letter Examples

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Judicial Council of California

Assistant deputy clerk ii-iii (jo#6170).

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JOB TITLE: ASSISTANT DEPUTY CLERK II-III

LOCATION: SANTA ANA, CA

JOB ID: 6170

The State of California, Court of Appeal, Division Three of the Fourth Appellate District located in Santa Ana is accepting applications for the position of Assistant Deputy Clerk. This is an on-site, in-person position. The successful candidate will be a self-motivated professional and a reliable individual who is interested in working in a fast-paced environment where personal initiative, excellent organizational and interpersonal skills are highly valued.

The Court strives for employee work-life balance and includes substantial vacation and holiday time. In addition, we offer an excellent benefits package including pension, medical, dental and vision coverage, flexible spending accounts, up to $130 per month subsidy towards public transit commuting costs, and retirement savings plans.

The position will be staffed at a level commensurate with the qualifications of the selected individual.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Under supervision, the incumbent performs a variety of clerical, procedural and legal processes supporting activities in the Clerk’s Office. Duties include prioritizing and examining incoming court documents and materials for conformance to the California Rules of Court, appellate court procedures and local rules; coding, scanning and entering documents into a computer tracking and monitoring system; electronically routing documents; evaluating, preparing and issuing detailed and complex court orders, letters and memos; review and file opinions; answering incoming telephone calls and in-person questions from court staff, the public, attorneys and other courts regarding cases, knowledge, interpretation and application of the California Rules of Court and California Style Manual, e-filing and other procedural and legal proceedings; preparing and sending out notices, preparing oral argument calendar, serving as courtroom clerk; setting up and recording; opens, reviews, separates and distributes the mail; processes outgoing mail, proper handling and shipment of court records; boxing records. Receiving, and preparing financial transaction receipts, deposits, and other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to perform well in a diverse work environment;
• Advanced computer application skills, working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat;
• Working knowledge of legal source materials;
• Knowledge of correct business English and legal terminology, including spelling, grammar, and punctuation;
• Understand and follow oral and written instructions;
• Attention to detail and accuracy;
• Ability to meet deadlines;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, and establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with other court personnel;
• Excellent attendance and punctuality.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Ability to lift up to 40lbs.

Ability to copy and scan.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Assistant Deputy Clerk II: Equivalent to graduation from high school and three years of legal clerical processing experience. Or one year as an Assistant Deputy Clerk I in the judicial branch.

Assistant Deputy Clerk III: Equivalent to graduation from high school and four years of legal processing experience, including two years of advanced procedural and legal processing experience at the level of an appellate court deputy clerk. Or two years as an Assistant Deputy Clerk II in the judicial branch.

Directly related college-level course work may be substituted for required experience on a year- for-year basis.

HOW TO APPLY

To ensure consideration of your application for the earliest round of interviews, please apply by 5:00 p.m. on February 29 ,2024. The posting will remain open until filled.

This position requires the submission of our official application, resume and cover letter. To complete an online application, please visit our website at https://www.courts.ca.gov/careers.htm and search for Job ID# 6170.

The Fourth District Court of Appeal provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who request such accommodation. Reasonable accommodation needs should be requested through Human Resources at (415) 865-4260. Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (415) 865-4272.

Please note: If you are selected for hire, the Fourth District Court of Appeal will require verification of employment eligibility or authorization to legally work in the United States .

PAY AND BENEFITS

Assistant Deputy Clerk II $4,826 – $5,870 per month

Assistant Deputy Clerk III $5,309 – $6,456 per month

Salary is based on qualifications and experience.

Highlights of our benefits package include:

• Health/Dental/Vision benefits program
• 14 paid holidays per calendar year
• Choice of Annual Leave or Sick/Vacation Leave
• 1 personal holiday per year
• Up to $130 per month reimbursement for qualifying mass transit costs
• CalPERS Retirement Plan
• 401(k) and 457 deferred compensation plans
• Employee Assistance Program
• Basic Life and AD&D Insurance
• FlexElect Program
• Long Term Disability Program (employee paid/optional)
• Group Legal Plan (employee paid/optional)

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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International Clerkships Program 2024-2025 - CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

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Deadline: January 15, 2024, 5:00 PM ET

McGill’s Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism (CHRLP) is currently accepting applications for:

• a 12-month clerkship at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA);
• a 10-month clerkship at the International Court of Justice (ICJ);
• a 4-month clerkship at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR).

The clerkships are due to start in September 2024.

Clerks at each court are assigned to assist one or more judges or staff of the Courts with tasks such as drafting legal and administrative documents, preparing case files, and researching legal issues.

Eligibility

General requirements:

Current McGill BCL/LLB, LLM or DCL students graduating in June 2024, and recent McGill graduates from Fall 2021 onwards may apply for these positions.

The Centre, on behalf of the Faculty of Law, will select a shortlist of candidates to submit to each court for final selection.

Candidates will be selected based on:

• demonstrated writing and research skills;
• training in and familiarity with international law and relevant courses pertaining to the court they are applying to;
• proficiency in the Court’s official languages: French and English for the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

Application Process

Candidates should apply to a specific clerkship. Should they wish to apply for more than one clerkship, they should submit separate cover letter for each candidacy.

Candidates should submit the following documentation:

• A cover letter that specifies the particular Court for which they are applying;
• A completed Personal History Form and Synoptic Table Form (for ICJ applications only);
• Copies of transcripts for all post-secondary study;
• Two letters of recommendation*; and
• A sample of written work no longer than fifteen (15) double-spaced pages.

All application materials (including recommendation letters) must be submitted in a single attachment in an email sent to clerkships.law [at] mcgill.ca by 17:00 PM ET on January 15 , 202 4 . Short-listed candidates will be asked to provide original, hard copies of their application materials to be forwarded to the Courts for the final selection in February.

All cover letters and recommendations should be addressed (but not sent) to:

• For the ICJ:

H.E. Philippe Gautier, Registrar International Court of Justice

Peace Palace, The Hague, The Netherlands

Note: the title of the ICJ clerkships program is now the Judicial Fellows Programme .

• For the PCA:

H.E. Hugo Hans Siblesz, Secretary General

Permanent Court of Arbitration

• For the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

H.E. Julissa Mantilla Falcón, President

Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Apartado Postal 6906-1000, San José, Costa Rica

* If referees prefer to submit their references in confidence, they can directly email nandini.ramanujam [at] mcgill.ca .

Stipend: The Faculty provides a 15,000 dollars stipend for ICJ and PCA clerkships. For the clerkship with the Inter-American Court, the stipend amount is 8,000 dollars. All amounts are subject to change depending on the available funding for 2024-25 clerkship year.

For further information, please contact clerkships.law [at] mcgill.ca

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Department and University Information

Department of history and classical studies.

What to know about Biden’s new student loan forgiveness plan

President Biden is forging a new path to reduce or eliminate federal student loan balances for tens of millions of borrowers, holding firm to a campaign promise to ease the burden of college debt.

The proposed forgiveness plan announced Monday is an alternative to the sweeping $400 billion debt relief program that Biden announced in 2022 and the Supreme Court blocked last summer. Since that court defeat, the Biden administration has worked through a negotiated rulemaking process to craft a regulation that achieves large-scale debt cancellation, albeit with a much more targeted approach than the last plan.

The Education Department will release a draft rule on the forgiveness plan to solicit public comment in the coming months. But the Biden administration is releasing more details of how the proposal will accomplish the president’s goal of sweeping debt reduction.

Here’s what we know.

What does Biden’s student loan relief plan do?

The new plan will expand federal student loan relief to several categories of borrowers. It will eliminate up to $20,000 in accrued interest for borrowers who owe far more than they originally borrowed because of unpaid interest. Borrowers could get all of their interest wiped away if they are enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan and have an annual income under $120,000 for an individual or under $240,000 for couples. The White House estimates that 25 million people will benefit from this feature of the new plan, including 23 million who could have their unpaid interest completely forgiven.

Once the plan is finalized, another 2 million borrowers could automatically have their loans canceled because they’re eligible for existing forgiveness programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness , but never applied. The proposed plan will also automatically cancel the loans of people who have been in repayment on undergraduate loans for at least 20 years, and graduate loans for 25 years or more. It would also forgive the debt of borrowers who attended career training programs that led to high debt loads or low earnings.

A fifth category of borrowers would receive debt relief if they are facing hardships , such as high medical debt or child-care expenses, that prevent them from repaying their student loans. The specific terms of each category will be fleshed out in the formal rule due out soon.

The administration plans to roll out the interest education feature this fall, and the remaining features could be implemented next summer.

Who is eligible for student loan forgiveness?

The majority of Americans with federally held student loans will qualify for some level of relief under the new plan. People with privately held federal loans originated through the defunct Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program would also benefit from some aspects of the proposal.

Those commercial FFEL borrowers would receive forgiveness if they entered repayment on or before July 1, 2000, or are eligible but have not yet applied for a closed school discharge — a form of debt cancellation for borrowers whose schools abruptly close. Such borrowers would also be eligible for debt relief if they have loans associated with a college that lost access to federal student aid because of high loan default rates, according to the Education Department.

Do I need to apply for this loan forgiveness?

While the specifics of the plan are still being hashed out at the Education Department, the Biden administration said the goal is for the vast majority of the relief to be automatic.

I was approved for loan forgiveness in the old plan. Will I qualify this time?

It depends on whether you fit any of the five categories for loan forgiveness.

How is this different from the plan rejected by the Supreme Court?

Biden’s 2022 student loan forgiveness plan relied on the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (Heroes) Act of 2003, which lets the secretary of education “alleviate the hardship that federal student loan recipients may suffer as a result of national emergencies.” The president argued that the coronavirus pandemic created economic hardship for borrowers that required government intervention of up to $20,000 in loan cancellation for 40 million borrowers. But in striking down the debt plan , a majority of Supreme Court justices said the Heroes statute was not designed for policy with such a “staggering” economic impact.

This time, instead of the 2003 law, the Biden administration anchored its new plan with authority in the 1965 Higher Education Act, which allows the education secretary to compromise, waive or release loans under certain circumstances. Critics of Biden’s plan question whether the 1965 law permits expansive debt relief envisioned by the administration, and note that Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said in his opinion last year that the act can be used to cancel debt in “certain limited circumstances.”

The Biden administration said the new plan is composed of interventions that address specific circumstances in ways that are covered by the Higher Education Act. The president is confident he is acting within the scope of the law, according to the White House.

Are private loans eligible?

Loans originated and held by banks and other private entities are not eligible for the new forgiveness plan. But federal loans held by private companies are eligible for some components.

Student loans

The impact of student loan repayments : A technical loophole is helping some parents lower their student loan payments . The ending of the student loan payment pause has left some borrowers anxious and confused .

What are my student loan repayment options? Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary shares what to focus on as student loan payments resume and why she says President Biden’s new SAVE student loan income-driven plan is a game changer .

What’s next for student loan debt relief? Biden is forging ahead on a new path to narrower student loan relief after the Supreme Court rejected his earlier loan forgiveness plan . Meanwhile, conservative groups sued to block Biden’s effort to provide $39 billion in forgiveness to longtime borrowers.

The Point Conversations and insights about the moment.

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Jonathan Alter

Contributing Opinion Writer

Judge Merchan Starts to Hold Trump Accountable

Beyond seeing its historical importance, those of us covering the Trump trial expected the first day to be relatively uneventful, with housekeeping details and rules of the road for jury selection. But it turned out that the morning also had the first stirrings of accountability for Donald Trump.

As part of the pretrial housekeeping, Judge Juan Merchan delivered the so-called Parker warnings on courtroom behavior directly to the defendant, reminding him that he could be jailed if he disrupted the proceedings.

Trump, who earlier seemed to be dozing, muttered, “I do,” when asked if he understood this and the other elements of the warning, which the judge was delivering to Trump for a second time — now orally — just to make sure it sank in.

Then the former president had to sit and listen to a discussion of the admissibility of his years of witness intimidation, his arguably illegal social media posts and his efforts to use The National Enquirer to destroy his rivals. The jury didn’t hear any of this, but Trump and everyone else in the courtroom did.

All morning, Trump’s side only won once: when the judge ruled that during the testimony of Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, there could be no mention in front of the jury of Trump’s wife being pregnant and then being with a newborn (Barron Trump) at home when McDougal says they were having a long-running extramarital affair.

At one point, Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney, saw that his slumped client was looking straight ahead, dejected. He reached out and patted Trump on the back.

The judge said he would hold a hearing on April 23 on the prosecution’s motion that Trump be held in contempt of court and possibly jailed for three Truth Social posts attacking Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, which seemed to be a clear violation of the judge’s gag order preventing Trump from trying to intimidate witnesses.

Judge Merchan indicated that he would reject Trump’s go-to argument that he was just responding in kind.

In the meantime, the judge was also concerned about the logistics of accommodating Trump’s desire to be heavily involved in jury selection. Part of that process can take place in conference, outside the courtroom, if a potential juror wants to talk to the judge and the lawyers in private. The unspoken worry hanging over the courtroom: Would a potential juror feel intimidated if Trump, exercising his right, was there, too?

The judge is working that out. He reminds me of the old deodorant ad for Ice Blue Secret. The bespectacled, snow-haired Merchan is “cool, calm and collected” and will do a terrific job in this trial.

Frank Bruni

Have Voters Really Forgotten Trump’s Presidency?

Memory plays tricks on us. It’s famously unreliable. That’s the bane of estranged lovers weighing the wisdom of reconciliation. Of jurors determining the credibility of a witness.

And of Americans deciding how to vote in a presidential election? The latest poll by The New York Times and Siena College makes me wonder.

The poll, published Saturday, shows Donald Trump holding on to a slight edge of 46 percent to 45 percent over President Biden. And it includes this detail: When survey respondents were asked whether they remember the years of Trump’s presidency as “mostly good,” “mostly bad” or “not really good or bad,” 42 percent said “mostly good,” while just 33 percent said “mostly bad.”

Mostly good? Which part? His first impeachment? His second? All the drama at the border (because, yes, there was drama at the border then, too)? All the drama in the West Wing? The revolving door of senior administration officials, his good-people-on-both-sides response to the violence in Charlottesville, Va., his wishful musings about violent attacks on journalists and Democrats, his nutty soliloquies at news conferences early in the coronavirus pandemic, his recklessly cavalier handling of his own Covid infection, his incitement of the Jan. 6 rioting, the rioting itself?

Those were the days.

I realize that the “mostly good” camp comprises many MAGA loyalists who will simply answer any Trump-related question in a Trump-adoring way. Tribalism triumphs. I realize, too, that Americans tend to prioritize economic realities in assessments of this kind, and that much of what they’re remembering and referring to are the lower prices of housing, food and other essentials during Trump’s presidency.

But I fear that they’re forgetting too much else in a wash of voter nostalgia . A fresh presidential bid by someone who was in and then away from the White House isn’t just highly unusual. It’s a memory test — and, in the case of a politician as potentially destructive as Trump, a profoundly important one.

Americans unhappy with Biden’s presidency need no reminders about why. They’re living it every day. But their present discontent may be claiming the space on their mental hard drives where their past discontent was stored, purging all the discord and disgrace that created Biden’s opening.

Absence makes the Trump grow stronger.

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As History Is Made, Trump Can Only Glare in Silent Fury

On Monday morning, those of us fortunate enough to have a seat in the courtroom will feel the hush of history as Judge Juan Merchan opens the People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump. This will be the first time since the founding of the American republic that a president of the United States has gone on trial in a criminal court.

As jury selection begins, my thoughts will inevitably turn to this striking lack of precedent. Richard Nixon was pardoned, Bill Clinton was disbarred, and Ulysses S. Grant paid a ticket for speeding in his carriage, but none faced a criminal trial.

This case is about highly credible charges that Trump falsified business records as part of a scheme to silence an adult film star and tilt the outcome of the 2016 election.

The prosecution’s argument that this is a 2016 election interference case is prompting Trump to pursue his usual I’m-rubber-you’re-glue strategy and claim that it’s really the judge and the Manhattan district attorney who are interfering — in the 2024 election. But he won’t be able to make that argument inside the courtroom.

Trump will probably have to settle for sitting silently and glaring at the judge. He is a domineering client, even when it’s not in his interest, and he’ll probably weaken his case by forcing his lawyers to back his ridiculous claim that the whole extramarital affair is made up. They’ll have a better shot arguing that the hush-money payments were not illegal and Trump did not intentionally break tax and campaign finance laws.

Among the witnesses expected to testify are Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime fixer turned major accuser, whose credibility will be a big issue; Hope Hicks, Trump’s former press secretary, who could help corroborate Cohen’s testimony; Stephanie Clifford (Stormy Daniels), the porn star who received $130,000 in payments Trump is charged with laundering through Cohen; Karen McDougal, a former Playboy playmate of the year who also received hush money; and David Pecker, the National Enquirer chief testifying for the prosecution, whose catch-and-kill scheme to bury dirt on Trump will open a window on how tabloid journalism, well, changed world history.

Trump claimed on Friday that he’s willing to testify, but that may be just his usual posturing. If he rejects the pleading of his attorneys and takes the stand, cross-examination about his many lies would be admissible.

I’ll be back on Monday afternoon with a report on how the day went.

Patrick Healy

Deputy Opinion Editor

Could These Two Twists Change the 2024 Race?

Every Monday morning on The Point, we kick off the week with a tipsheet on the latest in the presidential campaign. Here’s what we’re looking at this week:

Donald Trump has spent this year projecting political strength. His renomination was inevitable , and he has been ahead of Joe Biden in many battleground state polls and national polls. Keep in mind: Trump rarely led in general election polls 2016 and 2020, making his strength in the first quarter of 2024 notable. It’s one reason there’s so much talk of him winning the presidency this year.

But this week? It’s the start of the Trump vulnerability chapter of the campaign. I haven’t seen him looking this vulnerable since his 2022 Senate endorsements blew up in his face. The reasons are two twists in the race: the Trump trial and abortion.

As everyone knows, Trump’s trial in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial is set to start Monday in Manhattan. Trump has never faced a criminal jury trial in his life. I don’t think he ever thought one of these criminal trials would actually happen — he’s been an escape artist his whole life. The big question: Will this trial actually change anyone’s opinion of Trump when so much about his bad behavior is already baked into our brains? I think a conviction might — there’s some polling that suggests that independents and some Trump leaners would be less likely to vote for him if he’s convicted, especially of a criminal cover-up. Based on a lot of years reporting with voters, and our Times Opinion focus groups, I think voting for a recently convicted criminal for president will be a bridge too far for some Americans otherwise inclined to back him.

On issues, Trump has boxed himself into a position on abortion that he thought was awfully clever when he rolled it out: Let each state decide its abortion law. Then Arizona’s Supreme Court did just that, upholding a ban from 1864. I’ve rarely seen Trump look as slippery and untrustworthy with his own base, and he’s running away from abortion as far as he can. Do swing voters really believe him when he says he wouldn’t sign a national abortion ban if he had the chance? Doubt it.

As you’ll keep hearing, the election is more than six months away, and so much can change: we barely know how the Iranian attack on Israel might affect things, for instance. But for all those known unknowns, one thing is clear: Trump is entering his riskiest phase yet of the race.

Maureen Dowd

Opinion Columnist, reporting from Los Angeles

A Rollicking Requiem for a Pirate

When Jimmy Buffett was dying last August, Paul McCartney came to Buffett’s house in Sag Harbor to sing to him.

“He was in a pretty bad way but he still had a twinkle in his eye,” McCartney recalled. One of the songs was “Let It Be.” And on Thursday night, Sir Paul came to the Hollywood Bowl to play the piano and sing the song about an “hour of darkness” to more than 15,000 parrot heads who came together for a pirate’s wake.

Hawaiian shirts and grass skirts as far as the eye could see. Buffett’s music echoed through the Hollywood Hills, a celebration of oysters and beer, surf and sailing, drinking and, well, let’s call it bold barroom flirtation. “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and …” Not to mention margaritas. (Including a giant green one slurped by the former Beatle onstage.)

A wild mélange of musical and Hollywood royalty showed up to honor their friend precisely because he refused to allow any hours of darkness if he could help it. Don Johnson, who hung out with Buffett in Aspen in the cocaine-fueled “Miami Vice” days, choked up as he read a Jimmy quote about making life a magical voyage. Even though there were storms and he “bounced across the bottom on occasion,” Jimmy said he relished the thousand ports of call behind him and wanted a thousand more.

Jane Fonda said that “Jimmy has the ability, like Tinker Bell, to spread happiness all over” — his generosity of heart and spirit always at the fore. She, John McEnroe and others paid homage to Jimmy’s love of weed with a running gag about smoking joints with him in outlandish places like the roof of the Vatican and center court at Wimbledon.

The Emperor of Key West, as he was known, was a sunny, magnetic presence in a world where the algorithms are always torquing up conflict and hatred, in a country where no one can seem to get along or even talk to one another.

Harrison Ford shared the story of a “boozy lunch” with Buffett and the “60 Minutes” correspondent Ed Bradley. “I saw both of them had earrings, so right after lunch I got my ear pierced,” Ford said of his infamous piercing in his 40s. “That’s how infectious Jimmy’s coolness was.”

Dolly Parton, beaming in on video, reminded everyone that Buffett was more than just a guy in flip-flops. He wrote books and stuff, she said.

That stuff made him rich but he always kept the vibe of a lucky dude from the Gulf Coast who happened to busk his way to monumental success.

Peter Catapano

Opinion Senior Staff Editor

‘Taxi Driver’ and a Year of Radical Revision

When December rolls around, cultural critics looking for a catchy theme for the year might consider 2024 the Year of the Radical Revision, in which Black artists of some renown revisit, reinterpret and even rewrite iconic works by white artists.

In March the novelist Percival Everett published “ James ,” a retelling of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” from the point of view of Jim, an enslaved runaway. A few weeks later, Beyoncé dropped “Cowboy Carter,” on which she covers and partly rewrites the lyrics to Dolly Parton’s “ Jolene ,” adding a touch of flex to the desperate pleas of the original.

And last week, the video artist Arthur Jafa unveiled his video “*****,” a revision of the gruesome climax of the 1977 film “Taxi Driver.” In the original, written by Paul Schrader and directed by Martin Scorsese, all the victims of Travis Bickle’s vigilante murder spree are white. In “*****” (the artist calls it “Redacted”) Jafa, through various artistic means, recasts them with Black actors, making the original film’s sublimated racial tensions explicit.

The overtones of these projects are obvious. Empowered by years of unquestionable achievement in their respective art forms, Everett, Beyoncé and Jafa can now profitably and critically engage with sacred cultural cows produced by white artists. There is — especially in Jafa’s disorienting and disturbing film — an element of confrontation. But there is also something far more complex than payback or one-upmanship involved.

The tradition of artists messing with icons isn’t new: It is straight out of Dada, whose patron saint, Marcel Duchamp, once decided to draw a mustache on a postcard of the Mona Lisa. Every generation consumes and composts the crops of the previous ones, allowing fertilization and new growth.

For me, “Taxi Driver” is a work that once seemed untouchable. In working-class Staten Island, where I grew up, we saw 1970s New York in the same grim light in which “Taxi Driver” was bathed. In our communities, the film was transgressive because it depicted a reality that could be spoken of only in whispers.

When I finally saw the film, the idea that the rampage scene could be anything other than a cinematic icon set in stone never occurred to me. Watching Jafa’s intervention at the Gladstone Gallery in Chelsea this week cured me of that eerie nostalgia.

In my mind, the best thing about these remakes and remixes is that they are not mere protest. They don’t argue for discreditation, removal or canceling. They invite us not just to consider new art but also to send us back to the original works on our own terms.

Trump and O.J.: Antiheroes in a Cracked Mirror

In the mid-1990s, I spent an afternoon in the courtroom covering O.J. Simpson’s criminal trial in Los Angeles. The effect of being there — like the effect of seeing Donald Trump in court during pretrial proceedings in New York — was to shrink the whole spectacle into something more quotidian. In person, the carnival looks not just smaller than it does on TV but also a little pathetic.

I’ll be covering Trump’s hush-money trial in New York beginning Monday for Times Opinion. It won’t be televised, but the comparisons between the two cases and two men are already so common that The Los Angeles Times made a typo — or Freudian slip — on Thursday, referring to Trump when the obit writer meant Simpson.

Yes, both cases are media circuses revolving around shameless and manipulative antiheroes who have exploited race for their advantage. Both tap into the weakness Americans have for toxic celebrities who play victim as they stick it to the man. Both lead millions to despair over whether justice can ever prevail.

But the similarities can be misleading and not just because the Simpson trial was for murder and the Trump case is about falsifying business records.

While murder is obviously more serious legally and morally, the fate of a former president of the United States indicted on 88 counts across four criminal cases in four jurisdictions is more serious and important historically than the fate of a former N.F.L. star who did TV ads for Hertz.

Simpson’s epic journey — with its mix of fame, race and violence — was a quintessentially American story. The Trump saga has all of that plus immense political stakes, but the fundamental question remains: Is he un-American or in the American grain?

Trump’s shocking victory in 2016 did not settle the matter. We will learn in this trial what almost every political consultant in both parties agrees on: that Trump would have lost that year and been reduced to a footnote if Stormy Daniels had told her story on the heels of the “Access Hollywood” debacle, which sent his campaign reeling. He won only because the 2016 election ended with the focus on Hillary Clinton’s emails.

So beyond legal culpability and political maneuvering, what’s at stake in this trial and this election is whether Trump is an aberration or the embodiment of a new, darker American identity.

Both Simpson and Trump are mirrors reflecting two images of America — one Black, one white, in Simpson’s case; one Democratic, one Republican, in Trump’s. All of the mirrors are cracked and coming apart, with the shards sharp enough to puncture any remaining illusions we have about ourselves.

Michelle Cottle

Opinion Writer

The ‘Golden Bachelor’ Divorce Everyone Knew Was Coming

My, oh my. Look who’s getting unhitched .

It turns out Gerry Turner, the first and much-ballyhooed Golden Bachelor, didn’t find his soul mate in Theresa Nist after all. After just three months of wedded bliss, the couple is getting divorced, according to People magazine.

Who could have predicted that one?

Answer: everyone.

Admission: I hate reality TV. And I really hate the “Bachelor” franchise. But I found myself mesmerized by this particular variation, with its focus on matchmaking among the over-60 set. The whole display, with the contestants desperate to convey their eternal youthfulness even as they lamented the challenges of growing older, perfectly captured America’s — and especially the boomers’ — awkward relationship with aging.

Alas, not even the wisdom of their years could save Gerry and Theresa from the fundamental phoniness of reality TV. But, hey, at least they got a glam wedding — televised, even! — and some cool gifts out of it. And my faith in the fundamental grossness of the franchise has been fortified.

Serge Schmemann

Editorial Board Member

Let Assange Go Home

The case of Julian Assange must rank among the most bizarre in the annals of legal wrangling. The founder of WikiLeaks, a site dedicated to publishing leaked information, Assange has spent five years in a high-security British prison and, before that, almost seven years holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, all without ever going on trial. Basically, he has sacrificed those 12 years of his life to avoid having to face espionage charges in the United States.

With a ruling by a British high court on extraditing him to the United States finally imminent, the case has taken two turns. One was a request by Australia, where Assange is from, to drop the prosecution and let him go home. The other was President Biden saying, “We’re considering it.”

The president should grant Australia’s request.

Not because Assange is innocent or noble. He was originally wanted in Sweden in connection with a sexual assault investigation that was subsequently dropped, and he has demonstrated a distinct preference for authoritarian regimes over democracies. The deed for which the United States is after him, the publication of an enormous trove of classified documents supplied by a U.S. Army private, Chelsea Manning, was carried out without any of the precautions news organizations normally take to protect individuals or information that could imperil national security.

The case should be dropped, first of all, because the charge of espionage brought by the Trump administration poses a serious threat to the First Amendment and to the fundamental role of a free press in keeping tabs on government, via whistle-blowers and leakers, if need be. President Barack Obama decided against an espionage charge for that reason and charged Assange only with assisting Manning in breaking into government computer systems in 2010, a crime that falls outside the standards of journalism.

But Donald Trump, who famously branded the free press as “the enemy of the people,” had no such compunction and set the stage for a trial that could challenge the distinction between exposing abuse of power and helping foreign adversaries harm the United States.

This is not a case the Biden administration should be prosecuting. Given the time Assange has already been in effective detention — far more than the nearly seven years Manning served before her 35-year sentence was commuted by Obama as “very disproportionate relative to what other leakers have received” — the president can legitimately argue that Assange has been amply punished.

Arizona May Be Just Purple Enough for Abortion to Matter

Hear that? It’s the sound of Republican politicians smacking their foreheads as yet another abortion-related development complicates their 2024 election landscape.

This time, it’s Arizona at the eye of the storm. Tuesday’s decision by the State Supreme Court to uphold a near-total abortion ban from 1864 — well before the state was even a state — is not going to do the party any favors. No exceptions for rape and incest? Tossing doctors in prison? Yeah. That ought to win over some hearts and minds.

It also throws a wrench in Donald Trump’s weak efforts this week to defuse the abortion issue by insisting he wants it left up to the states. I mean, with state laws like these …

Supporters of reproductive rights are aiming to put a measure on the Arizona ballot in November that would enshrine abortion access in the state Constitution. Organizers say they already have more than enough signatures to qualify. This promises to put Arizona in a position very similar to the one in which Florida finds itself.

But politically speaking, Arizona ain’t Florida. It is swingier, more purple. More than a third of its voters are not registered with any political party, and the electorate prides itself on being mavericky. With the proper care and attention, this abortion dust-up could cause Republicans up and down the state ballot some serious heartburn.

Already, Kari Lake, the MAGA front-runner in the Republican Senate primary, has been compelled to execute an awkward flip-flop. Having proclaimed the 1864 ban a “ great law ” during her 2022 run for governor , she is now running away from it as fast as she can. Like Trump, Lake isn’t so much anti-abortion as she is politically shameless.

And what of the presidential race? For months, Trump has been running an average of four to five points ahead of President Biden in the state. Despite the requisite acknowledgment that November is still four or five political eternities away, those aren’t comforting numbers for Democrats, especially with the border crisis, a rather urgent concern for Arizonans, shaping up to be a prime campaign cudgel for Republicans.

The state’s abortion developments will not fix the border mess — or erase the general disappointment many voters feel toward Biden. But they could stick in the craws of plenty of Arizona mavericks, making them think twice about giving the guy who boasts of killing Roe v. Wade another four years to run amok.

Here’s hoping.

Tressie McMillan Cottom

Opinion Columnist

O.J. Simpson’s Legacy Won’t Be the One He May Have Imagined

O.J. Simpson will be remembered not for his athletic ability, but as a spectacle.

Most people tend to think the O.J. story started when the Los Angeles police chased a white Ford Bronco down a deserted highway. But for Black America, the O.J. spectacle began on March 3, 1991, when Los Angeles police officers viciously beat Rodney King . Even though the beating was captured on videotape, the officers were acquitted and the city went up in flames. The O.J. Simpson legend began when the nation decided that King must have done something to deserve his beating.

Every generation of Black people has a moment when this nation betrays them: Emmett Till , the bombing of American citizens in Philadelphia , white racist violence in Tulsa, Okla. , the executions of Malcolm X and, later, Trayvon Martin . Rodney King was my generation’s; his beating showed me that a new day had not dawned in this country for Black opportunity and acceptance. Simpson’s legal team was able to paint a story in which he symbolized Black martyrdom to Black America because of such betrayals.

When the Simpson verdict was announced in 1995, I was standing in the student union of my historically Black college. My peers collectively sighed in relief when he was acquitted. But, if the King verdict was the moment when my generation fell out of love with our country, Black America’s relief at the Simpson verdict was the moment that white America fell out of love with the promise of diversity.

Sadly, a woman paid the ultimate price for the O.J. Simpson legend. By many accounts, O.J. abused Nicole Simpson for years . He got away with it through a kind of carte blanche usually reserved for powerful white men, because his public mythology erased his private abuses. For Simpson, that must have felt like a certain type of moving on up.

In a remarkable ESPN documentary, “ O.J.: Made in America ,” Harry Edwards, a sociologist and activist, remembers when Simpson declined to join a group of Black athletes who were campaigning for civil rights, saying “I’m not Black, I’m O.J.” That line captures the essence of O.J. Simpson, the man and the public figure.

He wanted to be above the rules not because of what he was but because of who he was. It’s the height of karmic irony, then, that what ultimately made Simpson special was the way his Blackness — that socially constructed distance from the white acceptance he so clearly craved — will forever define his legacy.

Nicholas Kristof

Will an Acknowledgment of Famine in Gaza Save Children’s Lives?

Soon after the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, the Israeli defense minister vowed to impose a “ complete siege ” on Gaza: “no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel” would be allowed into the territory.

Since then, Israel has allowed some food and other supplies into Gaza, with tight restrictions. As a result, aid organizations have reported starvation, particularly in northern Gaza. Now this appears to have resulted in actual famine, according to Samantha Power, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

In testimony before Congress on Wednesday, Power said that reports that famine was imminent in northern Gaza were credible. Then she was asked directly by Representative Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, “So famine is already occurring there?”

“That is — yes,” she replied.

The official arbiter of famines , an international group of specialists, has not yet designated a famine underway in Gaza using its technical criteria, but the official declarations are based on lagging indicators. So Power’s statement should be taken mostly as a sign of the general seriousness of the food crisis and the risks of widespread death if it continues.

Malnutrition is already killing children in Gaza; 28 deaths have been officially reported so far. When an area is teetering on the edge of famine, deaths can escalate very rapidly.

Famines primarily kill children under the age of 5. I’ve covered hunger crises around the world, and the scenes are horrible to witness. Dying children are passive, expressionless, silent, not crying — because the body is using every calorie to keep the major organs functioning.

Conflicts in poor countries often kill far more people through hunger and disease than through bombs and bullets. What is unusual about Gaza is this hunger crisis is unfolding in a small, accessible area where 3,000 to 7,000 trucks are reportedly waiting at the border with food. Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.

Israel has repeatedly denied that it obstructs aid. But in the past few days, after a threat by President Biden to put conditions on arms transfers, Israel has allowed far more trucks to enter Gaza. That aid also needs to be distributed, which requires a well-functioning infrastructure that is not now in place.

The importance of the word “famine” is that it can light a fire under international officials and groups to act urgently to save children’s lives. The test of Power’s warning is whether, for America and Israel alike, this actually leads to steps on the ground.

Charles M. Blow

Understanding the Racial Divide Over O.J. Simpson’s Acquittal

In 1995, when O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of murdering his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, The New York Times ran dueling photos on its front page .

One showed white people aghast: a man with his mouth agape, a woman with one hand on her head and the other hugging her own body. The other photo showed three Black people embracing in celebration, one of them, Sylvia Woods, an owner of a popular restaurant in Harlem , seeming to yell, with her arms stretched wide and fists clenched.

These images captured the way the trial and its verdict sharply divided the country by race. Many white people saw it as a straightforward case in which the victims, suspect and evidence were clearly defined. For them, the celebration of the verdict by Black people was perverse, an extreme case of racial tribalism and a disregard for basic humanity.

Many Black people, however, saw it quite differently. O.J. Simpson — who died on Thursday at 76 — was no paragon of Blackness; in fact, he wanted to transcend racial categories. He told The Times in 1994 that his biggest accomplishment was being seen as a man first, not a Black man.

It’s not that most Black people thought him innocent or another Rosa Parks. For them, it was the system itself that was on trial. The question wasn’t whether the justice system would work equally in the service of justice but whether its inherent and inveterate injustices would also be applied equally.

The Simpson trial came in the shadow of the trial of the police officers who savagely beat Rodney King and were still found not guilty. Los Angeles exploded in riots. Scores of people were killed. Buildings were reduced to ashes. It was one of the costliest riots, in terms of property damage, in American history.

People had exhaled their frustration in a language of death and destruction, but the violence was ultimately injurious to their own communities, and it brought no gesture or symbol of rectitude from the justice system itself.

The Simpson trial, in a strange way, held promise of closure in the ancient eye-for-an-eye sense. Could a Black man, with evidence stacked against him, be acquitted in the same way that those white men, with evidence stacked against them, were?

The answer was yes.

Paradoxically and, quite frankly, depressingly, the verdict proved that injustice was an equal opportunity offender, at least in this rarest of cases.

Spencer Cohen

Opinion Editorial Assistant

Can the Japanese Royal Family Start to Loosen Up?

In 2019, I waited for hours in the Tokyo heat, in a crowd of thousands, for a glimpse of royalty. The crowd snapped photos and waved flags as Naruhito stood high above us, behind glass in his first public appearance as Japan’s emperor. He waved. I think he also smiled. Sweat dripped down my neck.

It was all a bit underwhelming, much like the imperial family’s first social media account, on Instagram , which went public last week. It is, expectedly, a bore: No selfies or phone snaps here, few flickers of personality.

It’s not surprising that a 2019 poll found that a bit more than half of 18-to-29-year-olds in Japan have little or no interest in the imperial household. Even creating an Instagram account seems like an acknowledgment by the monarchy that it’s straining to connect with its people and fighting for relevance in a shifting world.

But if you look hard enough at the page, there are glimpses through the veil: The royals stand before bonsai trees and seem to smile. They kneel in front of earthquake survivors — a symbolic gesture with decades of precedent . The institution has never been much for outsize personalities, so this may be all we get. But it is progress.

The Imperial Household Agency, the family’s keeper, has tightly controlled its image for decades. In 1990 a photographer caught an informal, if not endearing, moment at a royal wedding: The bride smiled as she brushed aside the hair of the groom. That was too much. The agency reportedly reprimanded the offending photographer.

Does the Instagram page signal a real loosening up of this old institution? Probably not. But seven years ago, Naruhito, then the crown prince, promised change , which seems possible as the first emperor to study abroad. (He spent two years at Oxford and has said he loved the experience.) His father, Akihito, redefined the role over three decades of rule; perhaps Naruhito can do the same.

I am a little doubtful that the monarchy can reach a younger crowd. The family appears too buttoned up on Instagram, much like the institution itself. Still, in a little more than a week, the page has gotten almost a million followers. Perhaps this is a turning point, when the institution begins to transform its image, drawing in a new, younger swath of people.

David Firestone

Deputy Editor, the Editorial Board

Arizona Republicans Are in an Absolute Panic on Abortion

The Arizona Republican Party was in full-scale meltdown Wednesday afternoon after the state’s highest court banned virtually all forms of abortion there. If the issue weren’t so serious, it would be comical to watch Republican leaders scurrying away from one of their most fervently held positions once they realized how devastating the ruling could be to their political prospects, and particularly to Donald Trump’s chances of winning the crucial swing state in November.

There were chaotic scenes on the floor of the Arizona House as Republican legislators argued with one another over whether to repeal the 1864 abortion ban that was upheld by the state Supreme Court the day before. At one point, according to The Arizona Republic , Representative Matt Gress, a Phoenix Republican, brought up a bill to repeal the law, but Democratic lawmakers ran over and reminded him that he had sponsored fetal personhood bills . “Do not fall for it,” yelled one Democrat, in a video taken on the House floor. Without a plan, Republicans, who control the chamber, were so shaken that they quickly recessed the House for a week, preventing a repeal vote.

The party’s panic was led, naturally, by Trump, who is most vulnerable to the anger by virtue of his appointment of three anti-abortion justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, leading to the repeal of Roe v. Wade and thus the re-imposition of old state bans like Arizona’s. On Wednesday, Trump said the Arizona ban went too far , and he predicted the state would fix it. But the hypocrisy of state leaders was, if anything, even more egregious. Kari Lake, a Trump acolyte and U.S. Senate candidate, quickly denounced the court ruling, though she had said less than two years ago that the ban was a “great law.”

Juan Ciscomani, a Republican congressman from the state, who had supported a 15-week abortion ban and has repeatedly voted to restrict abortion access, called the court ruling “a disaster.” His Arizona colleague David Schweikert, who has an A+ rating from anti-abortion groups, said the issue shouldn’t be “legislated from the bench” and demanded the legislature take action.

But Democrats — and hopefully state voters — aren’t going to let Republicans run away from their own records. As a beautifully made Biden campaign ad on the terrible dangers of abortion bans said this week, “Donald Trump did this.” And so did his party.

Pamela Paul

Europe Is Making Progress on Gender Medicine. The U.S. Should Catch Up.

Yesterday marked the release of the long-awaited Cass Report , a four-year review of the National Health Service’s gender medicine program for minors in England.

As a result of this review, conducted by Hilary Cass, an independent pediatrician, the health service will no longer offer puberty-blocking drugs except for patients enrolled in clinical trials and will offer cross-sex hormones to children only with extreme caution. This makes England the fifth country in Europe to restrict the medical treatment of gender dysphoria in minors, or part of what proponents refer to as “gender-affirming care.”

According to the report, there is no good evidence that these treatments — specifically, the use of puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones — have significant positive impact on physical or mental well-being. And the risk of long-term harms remains largely unknown.

For those who have followed the medical research, and for parents concerned about the quality of care for their children, this was overdue and welcome news. Parents and caregivers have been frustrated by activists and a compliant medical establishment that insist medically and surgically altering their kids’ bodies and brains, sometimes primarily based on a child’s self-diagnosis, was the proper course of treatment. And that to raise any questions was akin to child abuse and transphobia.

To quote from the review : “There are few other areas of health care where professionals are so afraid to openly discuss their views.” The vilification and bullying, it said, “must stop.”

Fortunately, England has recognized the problem. But the American Academy of Pediatrics has dug in its heels. Last summer, despite finally ceding to a systematic review (with no results yet), it reaffirmed its commitment to “gender-affirming care,” describing such treatment as essential .

Why has the United States remained so stubbornly behind?

One reason is that American medical institutions have largely relied on sporadic studies conducted in the United States or on the guidelines of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health , an organization whose mission, based on criticism and leaked files , has slipped from transgender medical care into advocacy.

Instead of demanding strong, evidence-based medicine, the Biden administration and the medical establishment have left a vacuum for ideologues, activists and politicians to dictate protocols. Republican lawmakers have stepped in with bans of gender medicine in ways that have also threatened rights and protections for transgender adults. Instead of a dispassionate assessment of evidence, we have a partisan culture war.

It’s hard to imagine any other childhood condition, illness or disorder being treated with such cavalier indifference to the human beings in question. Children deserve progress and proven health care, not political gamesmanship.

Why Does Inflation Persist? Nobody Knows for Sure.

The surprisingly hot inflation numbers that the government put out Wednesday show, once again, how little we understand what makes prices go up (and sometimes down).

By “we,” I mean everyone, including officials of the Federal Reserve, which is trying, without complete success, to get inflation back down to its target rate of 2 percent annually.

“As is often the case, we are navigating by the stars under cloudy skies,” Jerome Powell, the chair of the Fed, said at the annual monetary policy conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo., in August.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the Consumer Price Index rose 0.4 percent in March from February, above the 0.3 percent that many economists had predicted. Monthly core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, was also 0.4 percent. Over the past year, the index for all items rose 3.5 percent.

Each inflation report is fresh fodder for the argument between economists who worry that inflation will persist at well above the Fed’s target and those who expect it to resume its downward trend soon.

Nervous investors may be overreacting to Wednesday’s data, according to David Rosenberg, the president of Rosenberg Research, based in Toronto. In a client note, he wrote that “the report showed plenty of deflationary thumbprints where it matters — in demand-sensitive areas.” Prices of sporting goods, toys, appliances and vehicles fell in March, he noted.

There’s always a lot of noise in the monthly data. Over the longer term, the mystery isn’t why inflation is high but the opposite: why it fell so much from its pandemic peak, even though labor markets have remained tight. Conventional wisdom is that when workers are scarce, they use their bargaining power to demand higher wages, which fuels inflation. That hasn’t happened much.

Servaas Storm, a senior lecturer of economics at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, wrote this week in an article for the Institute for New Economic Thinking that the behavior of inflation has discredited conventional New Keynesian theories about why prices rise and fall.

Storm wrote that central bankers such as Powell “are clear that standard macro models are of little use to them in the current macroeconomic environment.”

That’s a strong claim — perhaps too strong — but it does fit with Powell’s Jackson Hole metaphor about navigating by the stars under cloudy skies. Inflation remains poorly understood.

Meher Ahmad

Opinion Staff Editor

For Muslims, It’s Hard to Celebrate This Eid

Wednesday is the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of jubilant Eid al-Fitr celebrations around the world. After 30 days of fasting and prayer, Muslims put on their best clothes, prepare their best foods and spend time with friends and family.

But this Eid is more somber than any other in recent memory. The war in Gaza is now more than six months old. Reports of famine-like conditions appear as often as images of Palestinians performing janaza , Islamic funeral prayers, over their relatives’ bodies.

Not all Palestinians are Muslim, but the plight of the Palestinians is tied intrinsically to the ummah , or Muslim community. Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is the third-holiest site in our religion. For decades, as wars erupted in the region, imams would tell their congregations to witness the injustice Palestinians experienced there. Whether you grew up in Jakarta or Cairo or, as I did, in Carmel, Ind., solidarity with Palestinians was part of being Muslim.

As the war in Gaza roiled communities across the United States, this year’s Ramadan gave Muslims an opportunity to gather at mosques or at iftar dinners when we broke our fasts. If the rest of the world felt hostile, there we could openly share our anguish and talk about how we have navigated our workplaces and social lives. I almost didn’t realize how often I had my guard up until I walked into these spaces.

I’ve seen American Muslim spaces become a refuge this way before. During the height of the war on terrorism, when our faith felt so fundamentally misunderstood by the country we lived in, our community felt like a place of respite. I’ve thought about those days often during this war. As much as I cherish the ability of Muslims to come together in times of conflict, I also remember how the hostility of those years led many Muslims to retreat into tradition and community rather than engage with the outside world.

I don’t see the same shift happening this Ramadan. While Islam offers me community, it also has given me the strength to engage with those who aren’t like me.

So often, we’re made to remember how we are different from others. But Islam teaches us not just how to be Muslim among other Muslims but also how to live and engage with the world outside the ummah. My hope for this Eid is that other Muslims — and non-Muslims — take this lesson with them.

Farah Stockman

A Useful Guide to the History of U.S.-China Relations

There’s no more important relationship in the world than the one between the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies. And yet not enough Americans know about the history of confrontations — and human connections — between those superpowers that have brought us to the current level of political tension and economic cooperation.

Americans who got outraged about China’s spy balloon in 2023 should know about the long history of American spying on China. Those who hope to avoid military conflict with China in the future ought to consider how one was avoided when a Chinese fighter pilot confronted — and then collided with — a U.S. military spy plane in 2001.

As China grows more powerful, we had better get far more familiar with the events that have shaped how we are viewed by friends and adversaries alike.

One useful guide to the subject is Jane Perlez, a former New York Times Beijing bureau chief, who has spent much of her time in recent years producing podcasts about the hidden history that has led to the current moment.

In 2022, Perlez created “ The Great Wager ,” a five-part podcast series from NPR about President Richard Nixon’s historic 1972 trip to China. And on Tuesday, she dropped a new eight-part series called “Face-Off: U.S. vs China,” available on Apple and Spotify .

Want to know how China managed to uncover a network of American spies in 2010, and the ramifications that reverberate to this day? Ever wondered about the personal chemistry (or lack thereof) between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping? Or how one of the most important companies in the United States — Apple — came to rely so heavily on the Chinese Communist Party? The podcast has you covered.

I’ve known Perlez since my days as an unpaid intern in the Nairobi bureau of The Times in the 1990s, and there are few people I consider more knowledgeable about China. An old-school reporter, Perlez avoids inserting her own opinion into her podcasts, but her devotion to unearthing hidden gems from this rapidly evolving relationship reveals a point of view that is rarely heard in Washington these days: History matters, and Americans ought to get far more familiar with it.

Opinion Researcher

The Global Competition at the Heart of ‘3 Body Problem’

In the early 1940s, the British scientist Joseph Needham roamed the Chinese countryside. After his travels, he wrote a book series asking why China didn’t beat Europe to the scientific revolution, since China was so inventive throughout its history.

This Needham question, long debated by historians, gets an update in Netflix’s “3 Body Problem,” which adapts the Chinese author Liu Cixin’s book for a Western audience. In the story, aliens known as San-Ti are bound to conquer Earth in 400 years. They’re light-years ahead technologically, having mastered quantum computing, artificial intelligence and space travel. Humanity’s only chance to mount a planetary defense is to dive headfirst into technological development at an exponential pace.

As many book readers and series viewers have pointed out, the impending alien invasion is a fitting allegory for U.S.-China competition. There’s a looming conflict against a technologically adept superpower, and it will take rapid scientific innovation to survive. Who the aliens represent depends on which side of the Pacific you’re on.

This is the new Needham question: Which country is poised to beat the other to the next scientific revolution of computing, A.I. and space travel?

The San-Ti launch subatomic supercomputers at Earth to keep Earth’s technology stunted; the Biden administration has a similar strategy to keep China’s semiconductors several generations behind those of the United States. The Netflix series’s imagery of a hidden but all-seeing alien supercomputer conjures fears of Chinese surveillance infiltrating Western research institutions.

However, the most important conflict in the story unfolds between the two rival human approaches to defeating the aliens. The first camp is ruthless, willing to sacrifice the few for the perceived benefit of the many. The second camp represents a more humanistic approach, seeing value in all human life.

In Liu’s telling, the ruthless rationalists win out. The story has become a popular text among Chinese nationalists who revel in authoritarianism as a justification for scientific development. The Netflix show has not taken a firm side in this debate, though it has been more sympathetic to the humanists.

Ursula Le Guin has framed science fiction as a thought experiment better suited to describing the present than to forecasting. But what does Liu, a shrewd engineer-turned-novelist, make of bleak moral and geopolitical interpretations of his work? His first edition’s postscript offers a clue. He wrote , “It’s just science fiction, no need to take it seriously. :)”

Havana Syndrome and Russia’s Unit 29155

A joint investigation by Russian, American and German reporters has produced evidence that is chilling and plausible, albeit not conclusive, that Havana syndrome — painful and debilitating medical episodes experienced by scores of American diplomats and intelligence officers over the past decade — is the work of a special Russian spy unit dedicated to assassination and mayhem.

The reporting by The Insider , a Russia-focused investigative news outlet, in collaboration with the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel and CBS’s “ 60 Minutes ,” sharply challenges earlier assertions by U.S. intelligence agencies that what they called anomalous health incidents were very unlikely to be the work of a foreign power.

In typical cases, victims reported sudden and acute pain, usually to one side of the head, followed by prolonged bouts of headaches and dizziness. The Biden administration and Congress have nonetheless enacted legislation providing compensation to victims, some of whom have been unable to continue work.

Drawing on interviews with victims and an impressive mastery of online snooping, the investigative reporters found various links between the attacks and Unit 29155, a division of the Russian military intelligence agency G.R.U., known to U.S. intelligence agencies for conducting lethal operations and sabotage the world over. Operatives of Unit 29155 were placed at sites of several anomalous health incidents; more damningly, the reporters discovered that senior members of the unit had received awards for work on “nonlethal acoustic weapons,” which in Russia refers to directed-energy devices based on sound or radio frequencies.

One of the key pieces in the puzzle was supplied by the wife of an official at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia, who was struck with acute pain in her head while doing laundry at home. Spotting a car on the house’s security camera, she managed to get to the street in time to see a tall, thin man and to photograph his car. She subsequently identified a photograph of Albert Averyanov, an operative of Unit 29155 and the son of the founding commander of the unit, Gen. Andrei Averyanov.

The pattern of the attacks suggested the targeted American intelligence officers and diplomats were working or had worked on Russia matters, including C.I.A. officers who worked with Ukraine.

The full report of The Insider is a gripping read. The question it leaves unanswered is whether the U.S. government knew what the reporters discovered and, if so, whether the government was hiding it. Either way, the victims, many still suffering, deserve a thorough investigation.

David French

More College Men Should Do What Caitlin Clark Did

It’s hard to wrap your mind around the television ratings for Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the women’s college basketball tournament. Her Elite Eight game against her rival Angel Reese and Louisiana State University was the highest-rated college basketball game in ESPN history . More than 12 million people tuned in, and the audience peaked at 16.1 million. Then, days later, Clark’s team broke the record again . This time more than 14 million people watched, and the audience peaked at 17 million.

The ratings for Sunday night’s final were even more impressive. An incredible 18.7 million people watched . The game was the most-watched basketball game in America — N.C.A.A. or N.B.A. — since the 2019 men’s N.C.A.A. final.

There is a lesson in those ratings, one that goes beyond Clark’s generational talent. If she’d been a man, she’d have had one good year in college, perhaps enjoyed a decent tournament run, and then dashed off to the N.B.A. Fans wouldn’t know they’d witnessed greatness.

That’s the nature of the one-and-done men’s college game. Transcendent talents don’t stay, and teams with longstanding rosters don’t have transcendent talents. And so you’re left with a sport that both lacks stars and (relatedly) puts an inferior product on the court.

There are obvious economic reasons for the current reality. Young men have immediate access to huge professional salaries. The average N.B.A. salary is more than $10 million. The W.N.B.A. average barely tops $100,000. It’s financially irrational for a young man to stay in the N.C.A.A. when vast wealth awaits him for turning pro. But the cost to the N.C.A.A. and the N.B.A. is real. If players stayed, college ball would benefit from having better play on the court, and pro ball would benefit from drafting players who are already household names and bring a fan base with them into the league.

With the advent of compensation for name, image and likeness, one wonders: Can the N.B.A. and the N.C.A.A. recreate that Caitlin Clark magic, but for men? Let’s have the players stay in college longer, compensate them fairly while they’re in school, and then let them loose on the N.B.A. after they’ve built their game and their name. The women have shown the way.

Ross Douthat

Pope Francis Finds a Limit to His Liberalism

“How Far Can You Go?” is the title of a novel by David Lodge, published in 1980 and portraying the lives of young English Catholics from the 1950s through the Second Vatican Council and its aftermath. The titular question refers to both sex and faith — what kinds of intimacy are allowed to Catholic couples before marriage, and what remains of belief after a period of dramatic religious change?

Lodge’s title could also usefully refer to the pontificate of Pope Francis, whose style has been to consistently push at the boundaries of his office, testing how far a pope can go in altering Catholic teaching.

Can divorced and remarried Catholics receive communion without an annulment? Sometimes, maybe, no: It depends on how you interpret a papal footnote. Is the death penalty intrinsically immoral? Almost certainly, but with just a tiny bit of wiggle room to preserve continuity with the church’s past teachings. Can same-sex couples receive a blessing? Well, you see, it depends on the meaning of “blessing” and “couple”….

In the first two cases, divorce and the death penalty, the pope’s pushing and prodding mostly survived objections from the church’s conservatives. In the third case, the recent document that maybe, sort-of allowed for blessings of gay couples, his fingers got burned; there was a conspicuous revolt by bishops worldwide (not just his reliable foils among American conservatives), a hasty attempt at clarification and water-calming, and a sense that the pope had gone too far.

That’s the background for the Vatican document issued on Monday on human dignity, Dignitas Infinita , apparently many years in the making but probably not coincidentally timed to the current moment in the Francis papacy. The document is prolix enough to contain multitudes, but it comes across as an unusually sharp condemnation of transgender identity, surrogacy and abortion, a clearer-than-usual line against developments in progressive thought and culture.

It’s still very much a Francis-era document: His condemnation of the death penalty is especially emphasized, his rhetoric of inclusion and critiques of anti-gay discrimination are still present. But the fact that it’s attracted more praise from conservative-leaning theologians and more disappointment or “whiplash” from groups seeking changes around issues of sexuality is pretty clearly an intended outcome.

Francis has spent years balancing between conservatives and progressives but favoring the latter. This document puts a limit to that favoritism, a this-far-no-further, at least when it comes what the Vatican teaches. What it will tolerate, from the more liberal branches of the church especially, is the key question that remainder of his pontificate will answer.

Neel V. Patel

The Greatest Lesson of the Solar Eclipse

Six years as a space reporter taught me that chaos reigns supreme. I have watched enough go wrong to know no mission or any view of a celestial event is ever truly promised to us terrestrial observers.

So when my mother and I decided to drive out to Erie, Pa., to see Monday’s solar eclipse within the path of totality, I knew this would be a trip of two clashing attitudes. I’d be pessimistic about the weather and convinced we’d be victims of the randomness that governs the world; my mom would have strong faith that order would triumph and the skies would let us glimpse an eclipse like this for the first time in our lives. I told her not to count on the universe for this one; she told me she wouldn’t count on anything else.

I was once again humbled into a lesson I’ve learned time and time again: Mama knows best. Erie’s forecast this morning was looking abysmal, but by the time first contact began a little after 2 p.m., the clouds over the city’s bay front began to disperse. The pale yellow sun under the eclipse lenses rapidly crested, concentrating into a fierce orange glow.

Totality struck at 3:16 p.m. A thin white glow pierced out from the edge of a clean black circle. The colors of the sunset eerily bloomed in the distance. Clamoring sea gulls took a haphazard flight. I could spot solar prominences (regions of intense magnetism) jutting from the sides of the sun in tiny hints of bright red and pink. Jupiter and Venus made cameos. It felt like bearing witness to something close to a miracle.

Four minutes later, totality ended. The sun brightened again. And the clouds returned with a vengeance, swallowing up the moon and the sun and sky in gray. But for four incredible minutes, the universe seems to have made good on a promise to my mother.

Zeynep Tufekci

To Remember the Eclipse, Share It With Someone Close

I remember fairly little of the celestial details of my first total solar eclipse, which I saw with my mother and brother. Even so, my memory of that day is indelible.

My brother and I had some qualms about making the trip. My mother’s alcoholism wasn’t stable at all — she could be all smiles, charming and funny, and she’d disappear for three minutes and chug vodka straight out of the bottle. But somehow, the day of the eclipse went beautifully. It was the last time I saw my mother when she was happy, with family, outdoors and sober.

All that got overshadowed when just one week later there was a major earthquake in Izmit, Turkey, near a town I had spent many years in as a child. I traveled to the region and spent two weeks pulling people from the rubble. Tens of thousands had died.

Just three months later, my mother was found dead. I rushed back to Istanbul to comfort my grandmother and for the funeral. While I was in my mother’s flat, I felt another rumble. It turned out to be a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Duzce , Turkey. I went there too, but I didn’t stay long.

Now whenever I see photos of rubble or pancaked buildings from an earthquake, I smell the unmistakable stench of corpses trapped in the wreckage, rotting in the summer sun. A hallucination, but of smell.

Last Friday, amid preparations for another trip to see the eclipse, again with my family, I felt another rumble. An unexpected earthquake, this time in New York City, my home.

There are many theories and superstitions about eclipses and earthquakes that geologists don’t put much stock in, but in my case, there had been a very personal triad of eclipse, earthquake and death. I was rattled.

Later, I made tea and spinach pastries, an afternoon ritual that reminds me of my grandmother. Then it hit me. I was trying to clear one association in my head — the eclipse-earthquake-tragedy triad — with another one, my grandmother’s love.

What else is life but building good associations to chase away the bad?

It’s corny but it’s true: It’s not the events themselves that matter but who we are with to share the wonder of how the sun and the moon align to cast an enchanting shadow on our miraculous planet full of life.

Gail Collins

Trump Takes Another Position on Abortion … but It’s Only Monday

Donald Trump now says he wants to leave abortion up to the states. People, would you say this is:

A. His third position on abortion

B. His fifth position on abortion

C. Somewhere from fifth to 47th.

Yeah, definitely in the whole-bunch arena. Back in the day, he thought it was a woman’s right. “I’m very pro-choice,” he said in 1999 . He wouldn’t even denounce those late-term, “partial birth” abortions that people were yelling about at the time. “I hate the concept of abortion,” he said, “but still, I just believe in choice.”

He did, like almost all the folks he’d hung out with in his New York celebrity-keen prepolitics life. But once he started running for president, Trump seemed to notice that people at right-wing political gatherings put ending abortion very, very high on their priority lists.

Suddenly he was a believer; he bragged that his Supreme Court nominations were going to turn the law around. And gee whiz, they did.

Thanks to Trump, there’s no national protection of a woman’s right to choose. The states have started to do their own things, and as abortion access dwindled, Trump discovered that — new surprise! — Republicans were losing elections over the issue. It’s arguably one of the top reasons the House of Representatives, which was supposed to get a big influx of Republicans in 2022, wound up split almost down the middle. Trump’s party now has a majority thinning faster than his hair.

He was reportedly considering a national abortion ban as recently as February and hasn’t ruled out signing one. What else could he do now? How about … try to push the whole issue onto the state legislatures?

Think about this. Maybe, like many Trump Republicans, you believe that human life has to be protected from the moment of conception. Maybe, like many, many other Americans, you believe a decision about continuing or ending pregnancy should be a woman’s personal, private issue.

Or maybe you believe it should all boil down to the state representative from East Kumquat, who chairs one particular subcommittee.

Not that one? Tell it to Donald. I’m sure he’s open to a mind change.

Not Everybody in the Zone of Totality Wants to Rip You Off

Susan and Martin Cherry were perfectly placed to cash in on Monday’s eclipse. Their Cherry House Bed and Breakfast in St. Johnsbury, Vt., is in the zone of totality. They’ve known an eclipse was coming since 2017. When people started inquiring years ago about reservations for April 7 and 8, 2024, they knew exactly why.

So they raised their rates … not a penny.

“Not a bit. Not even a little,” Susan Cherry told me. “We don’t think we should make anybody else pay extra for something that’s going to be absolutely phenomenal.”

Journalists have collected lots of stories about crazy-high rates for lodging in the zone of totality. The Times reported last week on a Super 8 in Grayville, Ill., that was advertising a room for $949 a night for Sunday to Tuesday, 10 times the usual nightly rate.

But it turns out the Cherrys aren’t so unusual in failing to exploit the profit opportunity that fell from the sky into their laps. According to AirDNA, which tracks the posted rates by property owners on Airbnb and VRBO, as of last week the average daily rate for bookings for the eclipse was up only 20.5 percent from the same time a year ago, adjusting for time of week.

I asked Jamie Lane, AirDNA’s chief economist, why lodging owners are leaving $100 bills on the sidewalk. Nothing new, he said: “Most people don’t adjust their rates a lot in response to changes in demand.”

I asked him whether some lodging owners filled up their rooms at the standard rate before they realized why April 7 and April 8 were so popular. Lane said that explanation makes sense to him. “Something as obscure as a celestial event I think caught people off guard,” he said.

That doesn’t explain the Cherrys’ pricing decision, though, since they did know about the eclipse. Maybe, then, the explanation is altruism, or something else that economics doesn’t account for very well. “It’s a personal thing,” Susan Cherry told me. “We want to be affordable.”

Congress Is Back. Three Reasons That’s Good for Biden.

Congress is back in session after a two-week Easter break, with a bunch of issues that I think, if played correctly, will help President Biden more than Donald Trump in the 2024 race. Why? Most swing voters and independents ultimately prefer leaders who act like adults, not children, and who pursue America’s long-term interests, not short-term partisan politics. That should benefit Biden if he and his team can get swing voters to listen to them and to see Capitol Hill Republicans as focused on silly sideshows rather than serious statesmanship.

House Republicans may have to deal with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson , just six months after a few conservatives toppled the party’s last speaker, Kevin McCarthy. Many Republicans dismiss Greene’s attempt as an empty threat , but that’s what some people said at first about Representative Matt Gaetz’s efforts to remove McCarthy. Even if Greene stands down this week, she could revive her threat to Johnson (Gaetz gave McCarthy heartburn for months), letting Biden appear to be the adult in D.C.

On Wednesday the House will send articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate, and Democrats will probably dismiss it quickly, defusing the spectacle. Biden’s team will frame Republicans as more interested in the sideshow, though he will still be vulnerable to any rise in illegal crossings and security chaos at the border this summer.

The House and Senate will soon have to sort out military assistance to Ukraine and Israel. Biden has positioned himself as a one-man American bulwark for democracy against Vladimir Putin. I think Biden has a more appealing pitch to independents and swing voters as the man who stood with Ukraine than Trump will have as the man who … stood with Putin? I’ve interviewed a lot of independent voters in my five presidential races; all but surrendering Ukraine to Putin is not a winning message with most of them.

As we pass the six-month mark since Oct. 7, Israel is the big challenge for Biden. Whatever Congress does on military aid to Israel will matter less, I think, than whether Biden pauses, stops or puts conditions on the 2,000-pound bombs, F-15 fighter jets and other munitions that the United States is transferring to Israel.

In last week’s tipsheet, I asked whether swing voters had stopped listening to Biden. I think more of them will listen to him if Capitol Hill Republicans prove to be, in the words of Logan Roy, “ not serious people .”

Speaking of which: Trump will have his final pre-criminal-trial campaign rally on Saturday night in Schnecksville, Pa., outside Allentown. More on that next Monday.

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