A Product of Public Universities, Michelle Childs Would Be an Unconventional Court Pick
The New York Times
The judge is seen by some as a long shot for the Supreme Court, but supporters say her bipartisan backing and the appeal of her humble ascent should not be overlooked.
WASHINGTON — It was just before Christmas, and Jean H. Toal, then the chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, was in a bind. She needed an emergency order drawn up, but the courthouse in Columbia, the state capital, was empty. She was relieved to reach someone who assured her, “Chief, I got it.”
It was J. Michelle Childs, then a state circuit court judge who had made a name for herself as one of the most adept on the bench.
“Within an hour she came back to me, and she had a complete order with footnotes and everything,” Judge Toal, now retired, recalled of the day more than a dozen years ago. “Days later, she delivered her child. So, she was über-pregnant and it was right at Christmas time, but she had her work ethic on full steam, as she always did.”
