If you think sparring with a judge during oral argument is tough, try sparring with a judge in a gym, in a sport featuring spin kicks, and a referee that yells “fight!”
Justice David Medina’s biography notes that “in college he competed on the university’s karate . . . team.”.
He really wasn’t kidding.
Turns out, he recently participated in a match — with a law clerk. Tickets to the match were a featured item at the Court’s annual holiday charity auction.
Thanks to the power of YouTube, you can watch from the comfort and relative safety of your office.
- Preliminaries to the match and Round 1 (2:31)
-
Round 2 (1:33)
If you can’t decide whether to click on one of those links, you may want to read how the matches are scored:
Scoring: 1 point for punches or kicks to the body and punches to the head or face; 2 points for kicks to the head; jumps or spins add a point, so 3 points for spin kicks to the head (2 for spin kicks to the body).