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state and local authority before the Supreme Court of the United States. In the rare case (perhaps one a year) that reaches the Court in which the interests of state and local anvernments diverq.!, the Legal Center does not participate. 6. Why the focus on the Supreme Court?` A Supreme Court case differs from litigation at lower levels of the judicial system in several important respects. The Supreme Court makes law for the nation; what the Supreme Court decides not only governs the disposition of the particular case, and possibly a great many other cases as well, but provides a standard of conduct for individuals and government officials for the future. The very fact that the case has reached the highest court in the land demands the very best advocacy obtainable. When a case reaches the Supreme Court, the issues have been distilled to one or more clearly defined points of law, requiring careful concentration and techniques very different from those that may be effective at trial or in an intermediate appellate court. The type of issue considered by the Supreme Court differs from the issues that typically control the disposition of cases at lower levels. In addition, the Justices have an unparalleled depth of knowledge of constitutional issues that demands a high degree of expertise on the part of attorneys appearing before them. Special training is required to compress the presentation of complex issues into the limited time allowed by the Court, which is generally reduced by questions from the Justices. The C stakes are high, and state and local government attorneys are frequently opposed by the best legal talent in the country. 7. Do the activities of the State and Local Legal Center du No. The Legal Center was established to meet a recognized unmet need, discussed previously. The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is the primary service organization of the state attorneys general; it provides substantial assistance only to its members and their staffs. The National Institute of Municipal Law Officers (NIMLO), in which municipalities participate through their chief legal officers, assists those municipal attorneys through a variety of programs. State agencies and many cities are fre- quently represented by attorneys who are not served by NAAG or NIMLO. The Legal Center has a number of programs designed to assist these attorneys. More important, the Legal Center's programs advance the common concerns of state and local govern- ments when cases before the Supreme Court of the United States will affect their interests and their authority. -4-