By an accident of timing, retired Justice Anthony Kennedy has apparently given his U.S. Supreme Court colleagues a gift that will keep on giving for the upcoming term: what is likely to be a record number of law clerks. And a record number of women may be filling those positions.

The official roster of law clerks has not yet been finalized or released by the court, but Above the Law, an authoritative source of early clerk hiring information, has painted a scenario that will likely result in 41 clerks assisting the members of the court this term, with more than 17 of them female. Here's the tally:

>>> The 32 clerks hired by the eight sitting justices (they get to hire four each). Fifteen of the clerks are women.