What happened to Wilkinson this year?

It seems this past season OT '08 was not good at all for Judge Wilkinson. For the first time since OT 1985, Judge Wilkinson, who was confirmed to the bench in August 1984, did not have at least one of his law clerks go on to clerk at the Court (for the past three years all of his clerks had gone directly to the Court). Judge Wilkinson in my opinion is the very definition of a feeder judge. As we all are aware you essentially have to be a lock for the SCOTUS clerkship before he will even interviewee you.

So what happened? Does anyone have any theories as to why for the first time since being eligible to have his clerks on the Court Wilkinson did not have one go up?

Well, I do know that his daughter Porter did manage to land a clerkship with the Chief. Did Wilkinson use all of his connections to get her on the Court reducing his effort to get one of his own law clerks on the Court? I should add that I do know that one of his clerks accepted one of the super prestigious Bristow Fellowships and is assured to go up next term if he so chooses. I say this knowing that he is also one of the nicest people you will ever meet and can't imagine one of the Justices not wanting him in their chambers.