walter melinger. he frequently appears before the court in his capacity as a private lawyer now.and finally on my far right, dan. spent five years as assistant to the solos tor general, was a former clerk to a judge of the fourth circuit. we will invite each of our speakers to share 20 minutes or so of their comments on court decisions. >> so with that introduction, wile turn to our first speaker. tom? >> thank you so much. it is always a tremendous pleasure when i get invited to come and talk at the washington legal foundation, particularly in the term wrap-up. it is impossible really to overstate the significance of the foundation and its role at the court institution eel as a body commited -- institutionally as a body committed. more than a dozen merits cases, support for a large number of sur petitions, and almost unparalleled. the chamber of commerce has a heavy level of participation, but the legal foundation is focused on one legal principal that runs through a lot of the supreme court's docket. knowing the many folks who are watching the program on the web and through c-s