On October 8, 2024, Northwestern University announced the dedication of the Carter G. Phillips Center for Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy and the Carter G. Phillips/Sidley Austin LLP Supreme Court Clinic. These dedications honor and commemorate Carter’s exceptional career as an appellate advocate, his outstanding service to the legal profession and to Northwestern University’s School of Law, and his lasting impact at Sidley. The Center operates in partnership with the Sidley lawyers who help educate Northwestern students and provide appellate legal services to the public through the Clinic.
Widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading Supreme Court advocates, since joining Sidley Carter has argued 81 cases before the Supreme Court — more than any other lawyer in private practice. Prior to joining Sidley, Carter served as an assistant to the Solicitor General and in that position he argued nine cases before the Supreme Court on behalf of the United States government. He cumulatively currently has 90 oral arguments before the Supreme Court. He also has argued more than 150 times before the United States Courts of Appeals, including at least two arguments in every circuit.
Carter has served as the co-director of Northwestern University School of Law’s Supreme Court Clinic and an adjunct professor at the law school for more than 15 years. He helped found Sidley’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice, the first dedicated national practice in the country, and is Chair Emeritus of the firm’s Executive Committee.
