Vincentian attorney sworn into US Supreme Court Bar in front of all nine justices

In making history, Vincentian-born attorney Karlene J. Rogers-Aberman says she had the “special honor” of being sworn in before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on June 18, 2026.

“Through a special program offered by Georgetown Law (Center), I had the opportunity not only to be admitted to the Supreme Court, but to be sworn in as a member of that Bar before the entire panel of nine Supreme Court Justices,” Rogers-Aberman told Caribbean Life exclusively on Monday, July 6. “This is a special honor, as typically, admission certificates are merely mailed to admittees who meet the qualifications for admission.”

“The opportunity to stand before the entire panel was a rare opportunity, and there is typically a long wait list,” she added. “I was very pleased to be selected. The experience was even better than I hoped.”

In extending to Rogers-Aberman a “warm welcome” as a member of the Bar and an officer of the Court, the clerk, Scott S. Harris, told her that her membership entitles her “use of the public areas of the extensive law library.”

Rogers-Aberman said the other 46 admittees, representing different class years, are Georgetown University Law Center graduates from around the country, specifically California; Washington, D.C.; Florida; Illinois; Louisiana; Massachusetts; Maryland; Michigan; New Jersey; New York; Pennsylvania; Texas; and Virginia.  

Rogers-Aberman — who graduated from Georgetown Law School in Washington, D.C., in 1997 — said she met attendees who graduated as far back as the Class of 1981.  

At a pre-swearing-in breakfast at the US Supreme Court, Rogers-Aberman said Chief Justice John Roberts visited with her group, offering “some insights on past justices and the workings of the court.” 

Later that morning, Rogers-Aberman said her group “stood before the justices and took the oath.”  

“I could not help smiling at Ketanji Brown Jackson, the newest and first Black female justice sitting on the bench,” she said. “She seemed to be smiling back at me with pride. Now that I am a member of the SCOTUS Bar, I hope to have the opportunity to argue a significant case before the US Supreme Court one day,” Rogers-Aberman added. 

She said she migrated from Arnos Vale, a few miles outside the capital of Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 1982 at 10, joining her mother, Almira Rogers Cooper, in Brooklyn.

Rogers-Aberman said she attended P.S. 139 elementary school, then Ditmas Junior High School — both in Brooklyn — adding that she was “always a strong student.”

She said she was “fortunate” to be accepted to Cornell University in 1990, one of the seven Ivy League institutions in the US, to pursue undergraduate studies, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies, a combination of history and literature. 

At Cornell, she said she held leadership roles in the Minority Undergraduate Law Society and the Caribbean Students Association. 

Rogers-Aberman said she then went on to pursue legal studies at Georgetown University Law Center in 1994, where she served as a teaching assistant for one of her law professors, Laura Macklin, and graduated with the International Association of Trial Lawyers Advocacy Award and a juris doctorate (law degree) in 1997.   

Immediately after law school, Rogers-Aberman said she held positions as an associate attorney at Updike Kelly & Spellacy P.C. in Hartford, CT, and then at Kelley Drye & Warren, LLP in Stamford, CT.  

She said she moved back to New York in 2000 and continued to practice as an associate attorney at Emmet, Marvin & Martin, LLP, a Wall Street firm.  

In 2004, Rogers-Aberman said she and Adam D. Aberman wed; and, a year later, they moved to Los Angeles, CA.

She said she’s currently a senior partner at the law firm of Stephenson, Acquisto & Colman in Glendale, a small city in Los Angeles County. 

Rogers-Aberman said her primary area of practice is healthcare litigation, representing hospitals in both contracted and non-contracted disputes with insurance companies.  

“Being promoted to partner at my firm was a big highlight,” she said, noting that, statistically, Black partners make up less than 3% of all law firm partners in the US.

As a lawyer, Rogers-Aberman said she has had many successes, including winning a federal court trial and dozens of arbitrated matters.  

She said she also serves on the Alumni Interview Panel for Georgetown Law Center, where she interviews prospective students and recommends them for admission.  

In addition, Rogers-Aberman said she has mentored many young attorneys throughout her career.

She said her mother came to the US when she was 4, and that she remained in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with her father and two older brothers until her mother “could get established in Brooklyn.”

After migrating to Brooklyn, Rogers-Aberman said her older brothers followed four years later.  

“All gratitude goes to my mom, who had the foresight to bring me and my brothers to the US,” she said. “She made a lot of sacrifices that allowed us to have all of the opportunities we’ve been given, and I hope to continue to make her proud.” 

Rogers Cooper, who is originally from South Rivers in North Central Windward in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, told Caribbean Life that she was “extremely proud” of her daughter’s accomplishments, stating that all of her sacrifices were worthy.

“Jubilation and thanks to the God I serve,” said Rogers Cooper, a member of Fenimore Street United Methodist Church in Brooklyn. “Look how far we have come!”

Rogers-Aberman said she and her husband have two children, Phoenix Simone Aberman, who attends the University of California, Santa Cruz, and King Aberman, who, in the fall, will enter his senior year at Loyola High School of Los Angeles.