John Paul Schnapper-Casteras remembers hearing talk at the dinner table about the U.S. Supreme Court when he was growing up in Seattle. Now 31, Schnapper-Casteras has taken on a position in Washington where the court will be a major part of his workday conversation.

Schnapper-Casteras left Sidley Austin for a job that began this week as special counsel for appellate and Supreme Court advocacy at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. It is a newly created post.