After only a few months in the U.S. Senate, Sheldon Whitehouse has already won a gavel — ceremonial, to be sure, but a gavel all the same.

During a brief exchange after he addressed a classroom full of Georgetown University law students recently, Whitehouse was honored as “Democrat of the Year” by the Georgetown Law Democrats and accepted the gavel from the leader of the student group, Clay Pell.

Pell said the school’s young Democrats have been so impressed by the acuity of the new senator’s questioning as a member of the Judiciary Committtee that they decided to award the honor early in the year.

In brief remarks, Whitehouse, a former U.S. Attorney, sharply criticized Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ management of the Justice Department, including the controversial firings of a number of U.S. Attorneys.

Rhode Islander Pell, grandson of former Sen. Claiborne Pell, made a suitably traditional appearance — the only one of the several dozen students on hand who wore a business suit.