Judge Sarah A.L. Merriam ’88: Distinguished Alumna Speaks at Assembly

As a recognized distinguished alumna, Merriam is deeply accomplished in her profession as a federal judge. After graduating from Hopkins in 1988, Merriam went on to study at Georgetown University. Three years later, she began law school at the University of Connecticut School of Law and then transferred to Yale Law School. According to Roberts, Merriam “was Chris Murphy’s campaign manager when he first ran for national office– the 5th District Congressional seat in 2006.” Murphy now serves as a U.S. senator from Connecticut.

Following her work in politics, Merriam transitioned into the judicial branch. She served as a U.S. magistrate judge before being nominated by former President Joe Biden to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut in 2021. Roberts noted that Merriam now serves on the “second highest federal court in the land,” joking that the “only place left for her to go is ‘the Supremes!’” 

At an all school assembly, Merriam shared advice with the Hopkins community. "You don't have to start your professional life now," she said. "It's okay to do random stuff that's not part of a serious life plan. It's okay to have a little fun. You have your whole life ahead of you to do serious business."

Prior to beginning her career in law, Merriam said, she "scooped ice cream," "fueled boats," and "worked as a live-in nanny." She advised Hopkins students to "Take your time, do interesting things with interesting people, do things you enjoy and learn from all of it."

Merriam’s visit provided the Hopkins community a chance to hear directly from an alumna working at the federal level, and students expressed interest in how she handles such a high-stakes role. Madeleine Blank ’28 said that judges occupy an “interesting position,” needing to “look at every situation neutrally in the name of the law.” She added that because “everybody has some sort of bias…hearing from somebody who knows how to be less biased is going to be interesting.” Anyanna Osakwe ’28 said she was interested in hearing Merriam's “thought process on how to decide whether someone is guilty or not.” Carrie Lam ’27 echoed Blank’s curiosity, noting that it is “easy for us outsiders to say ‘be objective,’” but in a real-world court “that’s probably a lot harder than it sounds.”

Students were also curious about Merriam’s shift from campaign work to the judiciary and how her earlier experiences influenced her current position. Lam, who plans on studying “either political science or public policy in college,” found her dual background “interesting” as they are “two really different ways of thinking about issues.” She said that that “politics is more about trying to persuade people, but, as a judge you’re supposed to be more neutral.” Dide Arat ’27 also remarked that Merriam’s path was not “super straightforward,” speculating about how “different parts of that path could’ve informed each other. I wonder how her work in politics shaped how she thinks now as a judge.”

Students also commented on the value of hearing about Merriam’s career trajectory as a whole. Arat noted that it felt “more realistic” that Merriam didn’t just “follow one path the whole time.”. Even though Arat is a “STEM person, it would still be cool to hear about how someone builds a career over time and takes different opportunities.”

Overall, members of the Hopkins community anticipated an engaging visit from, as Roberts said, a “tough, smart, direct, focused, determined, and all around amazing” alumna.