On a freezing January morning in 2016, Tom Goldstein arrived at the US Supreme Court to argue the first case on the docket.
It was a First Amendment dispute involving a Paterson, N.J., police officer demoted because of his perceived political activity. Victor Afanador, the lead attorney who picked Goldstein to persuade the justices that city officials didn’t break the law, thought he seemed “real,” unlike other, stuffy Beltway lawyers. Afanador was impressed by Goldstein’s record of arguing more than 30 cases at the Supreme Court at the time.
Before their case was called, the Newark attorney snapped a selfie. Goldstein appeared tense. A lot was on the line. If Goldstein lost, he wouldn’t get paid. That was the agreement he made…
