VERY interesting! Who might the clerk be? Also, it's reminiscent of the Justice Kennedy situation with Gorsuch & now possibly Kavanaugh/Kethledge - encourage a judge to retire by nominating a former clerk of his. #SCOTUS #appellatetwitterhttps://twitter.com/ZoeTillman/status/1014159482178473984 …
This is certainly on the high side, but yes, judges do develop great affection and respect for certain clerks of theirs (and vice versa). And they will sometimes advocate behind the scenes for their clerks as potential judicial nominees.