Underneath Their Robes

Justice Clarence Thomas's Fabulous Book Party

Broadcasted tonight on C-Span. For a detailed write-up, see here.

Supreme Court Clerk Bonuses: Are They A Good Thing?

Most definitely. Article III Groupie commends this article to your attention.

The Supreme Court's Bonus Babies [New York Times]

Who Is the Paris Hilton of the Federal Judiciary?

Cast your vote here.

More on Nino's Kids, OT 2007

Rachel Kovner, one of Justice Scalia's hires for October Term 2007, is the daughter of a billionaire. But she "hasn't allowed her brilliance and her wealth to go to her head" (more details here). She's extremely low-key and modest -- even though some have called upon her to "find her inner diva."

Meanwhile, Justice Scalia has hired his fourth clerk for OT 2007. Congratulations to Bryan Killian!

Law Clerk Hiring Update: Justice Scalia's OT 2007 Hires

Congratulaions to John Bash, Aditya Bamzai, Rachel Kovner!

More details here.

More from Above the Law

The new website that Article III Groupie mentioned yesterday, Above the Law, is up and running. Here are a few posts that readers of UTR might enjoy:

1. Every Unhappy Appellate Court Is Unhappy In Its Own Way (about benchslappery at the Sixth Circuit)

2. The White House Counsel's Office: Here Comes the Cavalry (about various job moves by conservative "young gun" lawyers)

3. Yo Holmes! The Tenth Circuit's Newest Member (about Judge Jerome Holmes, just confirmed to the Tenth Circuit)

4. Another Judge Leaves for Greener Pastures (about Chief Judge Michael Mukasey's retirement from the S.D.N.Y.)

5. Neal Katyal: The Paris Hilton of the Legal Elite? (about Neal Katyal, one of the brightest stars in the SCOTUS clerk firmament)

6. The Upcoming SCOTUS Term: More of the Same (an irreverent preview of October Term 2006 at the Supreme Court)

7. Legal Eagle Wedding Watch (links to multiple posts, collected on one page) (exegesis of the New York Times wedding announcements of high-powered lawyers from the past few weeks)

Okay, now A3G is really signing off for the holiday. Happy Labor Day!

Another Cool New Website

It's called Above the Law. Check it out here.

Supreme Court Law Clerks: Where Are the Women?

For those of us who find Supreme Court clerk hiring news "more riveting than any offering on reality television" -- okay, Project Runway comes close -- this New York Times article, by Linda Greenhouse, is a must-read. Here's the key take-away:

Everyone knows that with the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the number of female Supreme Court justices fell by half. The talk of the court this summer, with the arrival of the new crop of law clerks, is that the number of female clerks has fallen even more sharply.

Just under 50 percent of new law school graduates in 2005 were women. Yet women account for only 7 of the 37 law clerkships for the new term, the first time the number has been in the single digits since 1994, when there were 4,000 fewer women among the country’s new law school graduates than there are today.

Oh, tell Article III Groupie all about it! But A3G won't engage in conspiracy-theorizing. Even the liberal justices don't blame the drop in female law clerks on anything nefarious:

In interviews, two of the justices, David H. Souter and Stephen G. Breyer, suggested that the sharp drop in women among the clerkship ranks reflected a random variation in the applicant pool.

Here's one explanation that has been floated:

Some speculated that Justice Antonin Scalia, who hired only two women among 28 law clerks during the last seven years and who will have none this year, could not find enough conservative women to meet his test of ideological purity. (Justice Clarence Thomas will also have no female clerks this year, but over the preceding six years hired 11.)

Interesting. It's certainly true that Justice Scalia hasn't hired many women over the years. Last Term's crew was all-male, as is this Term. Does anyone have any inside information on this? If so, please drop A3G a line. (If you just have speculation, no need to write; A3G can speculate as well as anyone.)

Digression: One of the two women hired by AS in the past seven years is Susan Kearns, whose NYT wedding announcement A3G dissected here. She is still at Kirkland & Ellis, where she is up for (non-equity) partnership soon. Mr. Susan Kearns -- a.k.a. Steven Engel, himself a former Kennedy clerk -- recently left Kirkland for a high-powered post as Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General at the Office of Legal Counsel. (The AAG at OLC -- a.k.a.  Headmaster of the Finishing School for the Elect -- is former Thomas clerk Steven Bradbury, whose confirmation has been held up by the Senate Democrats, for political reasons unrelated to Bradbury himself. Naughty Democrats!

By the way, it's interesting to see an article on law clerk hiring coming from the keyboard of Linda Greenhouse. She tends to write less about the Elect than Supreme Court reporters for other top newspapers. And sometimes NYT articles about SCOTUS clerks are penned by other Times reporters -- like this one, by Adam Liptak.

Greenhouse drops a hint as to why she doesn't like to write about clerks that much. In today's article, she can't resist trying to pop the bubble of beliefs about the influence of the Elect at One First Street:

They do not, contrary to myth — propagated in part by law clerks themselves — run the court. They do play a significant role in screening new cases, though, and they help their justices in preparing for argument and in drafting opinions.

C'mon, Linda, don't be such a party pooper!

Of course, taking the clerks down a notch is in Greenhouse's own self-interest. Among the Supreme Court press, she's widely envied for having the best access to the justices themselves (several of whom she quotes in today's Times piece). So diminishing the role played at the Court by law clerks relative to justices is self-aggrandizing for Greenhouse: she relies upon clerkly sources much less than the SCOTUS reporters who are her closest competition.

But even grumpy Greenhouse can't deny the value of the Supreme Court clerkship as a credential (literally, not just figuratively):

While their pay is a modest $63,335 for their year of service, a Supreme Court clerkship is money in the bank: the clerks are considered such a catch that law firms are currently paying each one they hire a signing bonus of $200,000.

Okay, time for an announcement: Supreme Court clerk profiles are coming back! Just as she did last year, A3G will prepare a series of profiles for all current members of the Elect. (Links to the October Term 2005 profiles are collected near the end of this post, the last in the series.)

So don't delay. Please send fun facts -- and interesting tidbits of gossip -- about any current Supreme Court clerk to Article Three Groupie, by email. She will take the best of what you send her, do some poking around of her own, and deliver the results over the next few weeks (going chambers by chambers, as she did last year).

Thanks in advance for your delicious contributions, which make UTR possible. Have a fun and restful Labor Day weekend!

A Cool New Website

Article III groupies everywhere are sure to love this new website: The Robing Room.

The Robing Room is sort of like an online version of the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary. At the site, lawyers (and others) can say basically whatever they want about federal judges -- on an anonymous basis.

But the Robing Room has some advantages over the AFJ. Since it's online, it's updated more frequently, and it's accessible to everyone (not just subscribers). And it's free, which is nice, since the AFJ costs a pretty penny.

Of course, the Robing Room is only as good as the information the editors receive. So head over there and put in your two cents about your favorite -- and least favorite -- Article III judges.

Remember: federal judges are public figures. Actual malice, baby!

Click here to check out The Robing Room. Enjoy!

Riding Circuit -- In a Taxicab?

Judge Thomas M. Hardiman (W.D. Pa.) is quite the judicial wunderkind. He was appointed to the federal trial bench before the age of 40. And now, after less than three years of service as a district judge, he may be in line for a promotion:

Thomas M. Hardiman, 41, who became a judge in the Western District of Pennsylvania in October 2003, could fill a vacancy created on the appeals court after Richard L. Nygaard, of Erie, became a senior judge last summer.

His colleagues have nice things to say about him: "an absolute star," who is "intelligent, hard-working and willing to listen." (But this comment, from former Chief Judge Donald Ziegler, sounds a trifle backhanded: Hardiman turned out to be a "very, very pleasant surprise on the District Court.")

Interesting tidbit: Judge Hardiman worked as a taxi driver before attending law school.

"Um, the far corner, please. Yeah, right here is just fine. Can I get twelve back, Your Honor?"

Judge Hardiman considered for federal appeals post [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
U.S. judge here eyed for court of appeals [Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]

(Robe swish: How Appealing)

An Interesting Review of Jeremy Blachman's "Anonymous Lawyer"

Available here.

Earlier: A UTR Summer Reading List

Judicial Diva, She's Homeless

"La da dee la dee da,
La da dee la dee da..."

Yes, it's true: Judge Carolyn Kuhl, one of UTR's top three judicial divas, has been bounced out onto the mean streets of LA. Details here. (Robe swish: How Appealing.)

First political hacks hold up Judge Kuhl's nomination to the Ninth Circuit  (which she eventually asks to be withdrawn). And now, denied a seat on the federal bench, Judge Kuhl is reduced to working on street corners -- literally. Check out this photo (by Richard Hartog/LAT):

Article III Groupie has said it once, and she'll say it again: State court judges are icky. It's hard out here for a non-Article III judge!

P.S. Is Judge Kuhl stifling a yawn -- or is she just about to sneeze?

The Chief's New Biatch

Administrative assistants to powerful Washingtonians are often highly attractive (e.g., Taylor Hughes, Karl Rove's assistant). Hiring a hottie is eminently sensible. If the duties to be performed are relatively straightforward, why not have them performed by someone comely?

Chief Justice John G. Roberts's new "administrative assistant," Jeffrey Minear, is an exception to this rule. Although reasonably attractive for a man of his age, Minear's no hottie -- unless you're talking about his resume. Here's an excerpt from the SCOTUS press release announcing his appointment:

Minear was a chemical engineer for Union Carbide Corporation in Texas City, Texas, from 1977 to 1979. After receiving his law degree in 1982, he held a one-year appointment as a judicial clerk for Judge Monroe G. McKay of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Minear then joined the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice.... From 1985 to 1998, he was assistant to the Solicitor General, United States Department of Justice, responsible for Supreme Court and appellate litigation focusing on civil, environmental, and intellectual property issues. In his current position as senior litigation counsel, Minear is responsible for Supreme Court and appellate litigation and for overseeing the government's participation in all Supreme Court original actions. Minear has argued 56 cases before the Supreme Court.

Wow -- how many "administrative assistants" have argued before the Court 56 times?

But then again, the Chief Justice's "administrative assistant" isn't your typical administrative assistant, as the WSJ Law Blog notes:

Minear’s title will be administrative assistant, which, frankly, sounds like a lame title for a guy who has argued 56 cases before the Supremes.... Think of him as Roberts’s chief of staff, helping run the court and monitor judicial issues. (Congress created the administrative assistant position by statute in 1972; maybe it thought that the title of “Chief of Staff to the Chief Justice” sounded funny.)

So don't expect Minear to be fetching coffee and muffins for the chambers. After all, that's Chief Justice Roberts's job...

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It's Off to One First Street They Go

Justice White (Snow, not Byron): "Okay, raise your hand if you vote to affirm!"

If you're reading this blog, congratulations. Give yourself a big pat on the back. Odds are that you are much smarter and more well-informed than the average American. Consider the results of a recent poll:

Sleepy, Grumpy, Larry, Moe, Krypton -- that's what seems to stick in the national mind-set these days. Americans are more familiar with the Seven Dwarfs, the Three Stooges and Superman than with current events and world leaders, according to yet another poll that reveals our trite side.

In a survey released yesterday, veteran political pollster John Zogby determined that although 77 percent of us can identify two of the Seven Dwarfs, only 24 percent could name two Supreme Court justices.

God save the Republic...

Okay, let's say you're a justice on the Supreme Court, and you want to increase your name recognition. What should you do?

We recommend public discussion of the oeuvre of Long Dong Silver:

"Not surprisingly, Clarence Thomas, whose nomination was marked by controversy, was the most recognized justice -- identified twice as often as his next best-known peer on the Supreme Court -- Antonin Scalia," the survey stated.

Justice Thomas was cited by almost 20 percent of the respondents and Justice Scalia by a little less than 11 percent. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg were tied at 9 percent. Sixty-three percent were unsure just who was on the Supreme Court. Only 11 percent knew that Samuel A. Alito Jr. was confirmed as the 110th Supreme Court justice in January.

You can be a brilliant law professor and former D.C. Circuit judge, like Justices Scalia and Ginsburg; a top Supreme Court litigator, like Chief Justice Roberts; or a former U.S. Attorney and one of the nation's best appellate judges, like Justice Alito. But the American people still won't have a clue about who you are, even after you're appointed to the Supreme Court.

We live in a great nation. Nothing captures the public imagination like pubic hair in carbonated beverages...

(For more on the Supreme Court and the Seven Dwarfs, check out this post at Southern Appeal. Genius.)

Summer School for Chief Justice Roberts?

There are some people out there who just seem too perfect -- you know, like Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, or Chief Justice John G. Roberts. We cherish those rare moments when these figures show that they are, in fact, human.

Like when Condi falls asleep in a meeting , or when Chief Justice Roberts misspeaks. Or when the Chief fumbles his response to an interview question:

When asked which Framer Roberts would most like to have been, Roberts responded that he liked to think that he would have been a Framer that “brokered the great compromises.”

A Framer who "brokered the great compromises"? Sounds like a punt to us, Mr. Chief Justice. Care to name names? It's like being asked which former Supreme Court justice you would most like to have been, and answering, "Uh, like, the one who wrote all those cool opinions."

Summer reading for Chief Justice Roberts: some good histories of the Founding.

(No, A3G also can't name the specific Framer(s) who "brokered the great compromises." But she's not the Chief Justice of the United States -- or even a member of the Elect. So don't look to her for that kind of knowledge. For extra credit, identify the great compromise brokers in the comments to this post.)

C-SPAN Interviews Chief Justice Roberts [Orin Kerr]

Chief Justice Roberts: Underneath His Robe

Chief Justice John G. Roberts has barely warmed the Supreme Court bench, but there's already a biography out about him. John G. Roberts, Jr.: Chief Justice is a short bio of the Chief, intended for a young adult audience. It was written by Lisa Tucker McElroy, author of Meet My Grandmother, She's a Supreme Court Justice, about Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Here are some juicy tidbits about the Chief that McElroy unearthed, as reported in an article by Tony Mauro (gavel bang: How Appealing):

1. Chief Justice Roberts's favorite color is green.

2. He loves chocolate -- don't we all? -- and his office has a stash of Hershey's Kisses.

3. JGR "cooks up a mean platter of shrimp marinara at family gatherings."

4. Chief Justice Roberts is super-nice, and when he "heads to the Court cafeteria for a muffin in the morning... he'll ask others in his office if he can pick up one for them too."

(Mr. Chief Justice, A3G would like a corn muffin, please.)

5. Oh, and what about those gold stripes (or the absence thereof)? Chief Justice Roberts told McElroy:

You have to earn your stripes, and I thought it was a little early to be doing that. It seemed to me that simple black was more appropriate. On the other hand, no one ever looks to me for fashion advice.

Chief Justice Roberts, don't be so modest! You may know more about fashion than you let on...

UTR Cribs: An Invaluable New Resource

As reported by Curbed, a blog well-loved by connoisseurs of New York real estate porn, previously private prices for co-op apartment sales are now available online -- courtesy of the New York City government. Just click here, then enter the name of your favorite New York-based federal judge, to see how much they paid for their apartment (or how big their mortgage is). Thanks, Mayor Bloomberg!

Unfortunately, the data appears to be incomplete. Many transactions show up with $0 as the sale price.  But most entries do show the address of the property in question -- which can then be used, in conjunction with tools like Google and local real estate listings, to estimate the value of a particular jurist's home.

Article III Groupie has run a few searches for noted S.D.N.Y. and Second Circuit judges, which have turned up some interesting bits of information. But she won't name names, since she does not want to be accused of violating the security or privacy of any judge. You can just go do it yourself, with information that is now all a matter of public record, placed online by NYC.gov. Happy Searching!

Food for thought: Given the security threats that they routinely face, will federal judges -- or an organization that represents their interests -- take action to keep their home address information private?

A Law Clerk Hiring Update: Alito's Kids

Article III Groupie has a huge backlog of Supreme Court clerk hiring news in her email inbox. Thanks to all of you who have sent tips her way. She's grateful for the identities of the SCOTUS clerks, as well as the fun facts about them that you've submitted.

For now, a quick update on Justice Samuel A. Alito's clerks for October Term 2006. Via Brian Leiter (blog post and comments), and Wikipedia (List of Law Clerks of the Supreme Court), here they are:

--Michael S. Lee (BYU '97/Benson/Alito)

--Christopher J. Paolella (Harvard '99/Alito)

--Matthew A. Schwartz (Columbia '03/Alito)

--Gordon D. Todd (UVA '00/Beam)

Since you can find their names and biographical details elsewhere on the web, A3G will endeavor to add some value. Here are some interesting facts about each:

--Michael S. Lee: son of former Solicitor General Rex Lee

--Christopher J. Paolella: talented college debater for Princeton; in the class of Alito Third Circuit clerks that developed Alito's Bold Justice coffee blend

--Matthew A. Schwartz (Columbia '03/Alito): like Paolella, a former parliamentary debate whiz

--Gordon D. Todd (UVA '00/Beam): worked on Alito's confirmation while at the DOJ; married to another member of the Elect, Luttigatrix Kathryn Comerford Todd, a partner at Wiley Rein & Fielding (OT 2000/Thomas)

Congratulations, kids -- Mamma Groupie is proud of you!

A UTR Summer Reading List

Here are a few books that Article III Groupie has read or is looking forward to reading:

Anonymous Lawyer, by Jeremy Blachman (of Anonymous Lawyer blog fame). This is a quick, fun read. Some readers -- especially those who have actually worked at law firms, unlike Blachman (who was spared that fate) -- may find the satire too over-the-top, a few plot details implausible, or the humor a little repetitive. But the book has some laugh-out-loud moments, and it's briskly plotted. In short, it's a good summer book. Enjoy it by the pool or at the beach.

In the Shadow of the Law, by Kermit Roosevelt. A3G briefly blogged about it last summer; now it's out in paperback. A3G hasn't read it yet, but a law school classmate strongly recommended it (as did Alan Dershowitz). Roosevelt is one of the Elect (OT 1999/Souter), as well as super-cute. This book is on A3G's nightstand.

Courtiers of the Marble Palace, by Todd C. Peppers. Given her obsession with Supreme Court clerks, Article 3 Groupie can't wait to start reading this one. It's worth buying just for the appendix material alone, which includes a comprehensive listing of Supreme Court clerks from 1884 to 2004 (by justice). WOW!

Becoming Justice Blackmun, by Linda Greenhouse. This book, by the Femme Fatale of One First Street, received glowing reviews when it appeared last year. Now it's also out in paperback. Get your hands on a copy, stat!

The Interpretation of Murder, by Jed Rubenfeld. This historical thriller, based on the life of Sigmund Freud, won't hit bookstores until September (although A3G has finagled herself a copy, 'cause she's that cool). It's not about legal subjects; but its author, the hunky Jed Rubenfeld, is a professor at Yale Law School (as is his stunning wife, Amy Chua).

Rubenfeld's publisher, Henry Holt, paid him an eye-popping advance (reportedly $800,000). It's also supporting the book with a $500,000 marketing campaign. They're betting big on this one.

Interesting factoid: Blachman and Rubenfeld share the same editor (John Sterling) at the same publisher (Henry Holt), as well as the same superstar agent (Suzanne Gluck of William Morris, the queen of literary dealmaking). If you think the legal world is small, check out publishing circles.

Happy Reading!

Judicial SIGHT-ations: The Newbies

Two fairly recent sightings of the Supreme Court's newest members, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr.:

--Chief Justice Roberts, accompanied by his wife Jane, on a tour of the Folger Shakespeare Library (details here*); and

--Justice Alito at a Washington Nationals game, where the Nats defeated his beloved Phillies (details here).

Justice Alito, by the way, was greeted by fans seeking autographs and photographs with him. A3G isn't the only judge-lover in this town!

A non-sequitur: Here is the recent New York Times wedding announcement for Alito clerk Adam Ciongoli. Ciongoli, by the way, recently made Washingtonian magazine's list of "40 Top Lawyers Under 40."

Ciongoli came in as #15 -- an impressive showing. But A3G has a quibble: Why did the luminous Rachel Brand, UTR's reigning Prom Queen, come in so far behind him, at #29?

* Yes, A3G also noticed the Scalia sighting in the same Reliable Source column. But she plans to discuss it in a future post, her much-delayed post on the eating habits of federal judges.

One First Street: Under Construction

Last Thursday, July 6, the Supreme Court-obsessed Article III Groupie paid another visit to One First Street. A3G's last visit to the Court wasn't that long ago (June 28). But you know A3G -- she can't get enough of this stuff!

The exterior of the SCOTUS building has been transformed. With the Term completed, and the nine Justices scattered to the four winds, the Court's never-ending renovation project has picked up speed. Check out all that scaffolding:

Apparently the Court's marble facade is being inspected to prevent further occurrences of falling marble. (White Vermont marble, in case you're wondering.)

Due to the presence of the scaffolding, the main entrance to the Court is closed. To enter the building, visitors must walk around to the side entrance, on Maryland Avenue. A sign posted by that entrance claims identifies summer 2008 as the scheduled completion date for the renovation:

When the Supreme Court was first completed in 1935, it came in ahead of schedule and under budget -- an amazing feat for a federal government construction project. Of course, the Great Depression may have helped on these fronts; labor was cheap and plentiful.

Will the current SCOTUS modernization project enjoy similar success? A3G has her doubts...

The Prodigal Blogress Returns

You can expect to hear more from Article III Groupie in the weeks ahead. Details here.

Early wishes for a happy Fourth of July!

A3G Visits One First Street!

Today your beloved blogress paid a visit to the Supreme Court. Yes, that's right -- Article III Groupie swung by One First Street.

Visiting the Court fills A3G with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it brings up painful memories of how her hopes of joining the Elect were dashed. On the other hand, it's always a thrill to see the justices in the flesh -- and, of course, to hobnob with their clerks.

Some random observations:

1. When the justices enter the courtroom, after the thrilling cry of "oyez, oyez," the height differentials are quite striking. Justice Ginsburg is tiny! You could smuggle her into Disneyworld in your fannypack.

2. Justice Breyer does a nice job of handing down an opinion. His voice is loud and clear, he moves through the reasoning well, and he mentions the key cases. You're reminded that he used to be a professor.

3. Justice Kennedy also acquits himself well in delivering a decision. And his job was much harder -- summarzing the bewildering tangle of opinions and judgments in the Texas redistricting case. (Of course, much of the mess is due to the way that he voted.)

4. Chief Justice Roberts -- what a hunk! He can make even Article 35 of the Vienna Convention sound sexy. A3G wouldn't mind having "Consular Relations" with the Chief!

5. The justices were pretty quiet during the handing down of opinions. There wasn't much of the cross-talk and whispering that one sees between the justices during oral argument.

Yes, Justice Thomas looked like he was dozing off; but his chair was rocking too much for him to be truly asleep. Justice Alito, the new kid on the block, looked alert. He occasionally sipped water out of a silver tumbler. Justice Scalia drank coffee out of a bright green, reflective mug -- the kind that law students get for free from BarBri reps. Every time he took a sip, the mug sent a reflected beam of green light out into the audience. Weird.

Okay, that's all for now. More details about A3G's visit, as well as lots of pictures, are available here. Still more photos are available here.

Breaking: Chicago's Dirksen Courthouse Under Lockdown

Details here and here. (Gavel bang: How Appealing.)

The individual that authorities are searching for, Larnell Rogers, is not believed to be dangerous. Furthermore, contrary to initial reports, he is not an escaped prisoner. This will probably turn out to be no big deal.

But in light of recent breaches of courthouse security, as well as attacks upon judges and their families -- including the horrific killings of the husband and mother of Judge Joan Lefkow (N.D. Ill.), whose chambers are in the Dirksen building -- one can't be too careful.

Update: A reader points out:

A prisoner escaped and killed two guards in the Dirksen in 1992, before being gunned down in the driveway out of the building parking lot, so that probably looms large, too. An award is now named after one of the guards, Harry Belluomini.

Further Update: CNN is reporting that the Dirksen Courthouse building is no longer under lockdown -- not because Rogers has been apprehended, but because it appears he has left the building.

In Camera: Fantastic Photos of Justice Alito!

Last night, Article III Groupie spent some quality time with the newest member of the Supreme Court, Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. The details of the event, as well as more photographs, are available here.

At the risk of sounding immodest, A3G thinks that Justice Alito is familiar with her work. When A3G went up to Justice Alito to introduce herself, Justice Alito asked her how she was enjoying Washington -- which she moved to only a few months ago, around the time that Justice Alito came to town.

In addition, Justice Alito was overheard at dinner talking about how bloggers wrote about his children. Could he perhaps be referring to this UTR post?

This wasn't A3G's only brush with judicial celebrity for the evening. She was chatting amiably with her dinner companions when, lo and behold, their table was joined by royalty: newly confirmed D.C. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh!!!

Article 3 Groupie could barely speak. She did manage to extend a sweaty (but well-manicured) hand towards the judge, introducing herself and offering congratulations on his recent confirmation. But A3G didn't have much more interaction with Judge Kavanaugh. Some people just freeze up in the presence of celebrity!

At the end of the meal, A3G asked Judge Kavanaugh if he would pose for a photograph. To her great dismay, the modest and unassuming jurist demurred. Maybe next time...

But A3G was able to photograph Justice Alito, as well as other UTR celebs -- such as Sasha Volokh, the former O'Connor and current Alito clerk, who will be teaching at Georgetown Law School in the fall. You can check the pictures out here. Enjoy!

A3G Just Wet Herself

... after checking out this amazing resource for tracking the ranks of Supreme Court clerks. WOW!

Of course, the Wikipedia entry for SCOTUS clerks is only as good as the contributions that readers make to it. So if you can fill in some of the gaps, please do so by editing the entry. 

(Gavel bang: Confirm Them, which explains the research project here. It seems that "BoBo" is just as obsessed with the Elect as Article III Groupie!)

Justice Scalia, Fashion Police

For someone who wears pants that are a little tight in the seat, Justice Antonin Scalia has plenty of opinions about fashion. Tony Mauro reports on recent remarks by Justice Scalia about one of his former clerks, Solicitor General Paul Clement:

[T]he warmest words [at a recent Georgetown Law reception] came from Justice Antonin Scalia, for whom Clement clerked in 1993 and 1994. Scalia said that Clement, who had shown his talents as deputy solicitor general before being promoted, was "the sentimental favorite" among justices for the post. "I am so glad he is solicitor general, because he makes my job easier."

But Scalia mystified the audience somewhat by revealing one complaint he had about Clement: the black vest he wears to the Court with the customary swallow-tail morning coat as solicitor general.

Scalia insisted the vest should be a pearl gray, and he thought Clement had broken with tradition. "As you know, all change is presumptively wrong," Scalia said, only half-joking. But the justice said he had the Court curator look up the history of the outfit, and, sure enough, Clement was right; black is the proper and traditional color for the SG's vest.

Interesting! One of those rare occasions when the brilliant Justice Scalia has gotten something wrong.

To the handful of you lucky enough to ever work in the Solicitor General's office, please take note, and dress accordingly. To the Great Unwashed, take this knowledge as purely academic, for your information only.

(Yes, A3G knows that a handful of lawyers in the SG's office never clerked on the Supreme Court; but come on, let's get real. If you're not among the Elect, your chances of being hit by a bus, killed by a terrorist, or hit by a terrorist driving a bus are better than your chances of getting a job with the Solicitor General. HA.) 

There are additional interesting tidbits in the full article, which can be accessed here.

Judicial SIGHT-ations: Quick 'n Dirty

Greetings, readers. Apologies for the cursory nature of this post. Article III Groupie is leaving the office early today -- she's attending her tenth college reunion -- and so she's scrambling to finish up her work and get out the door.

Two quick quasi-sightations for A3G's fellow judicial groupies. They're not the "purest" of judicial celebrity sightings, since they're reports on official events with the justices -- as opposed to, say, sightings of Justice Alito at Shoprite, or walking down the street in downtown Newark. And they're not original to UTR, but lifted from other blogs.

Nevertheless, they're still interesting and fun to read about. Here they are:

--over at De Novo, PG's impressively detailed write-up of Justice Scalia's recent appearance at the University Club (see especially the Q-and-A); and

--over at Wonkette, an account of the Supreme Court's recent trip to the movies, prior to the dinner in honor of the retired Justice O'Connor (originally reported in the Washington Post).

Have a good weekend!

Hands Off Justice Nathan Hecht

Article III Groupie wasn't exactly kind to White House Counsel Harriet Miers during her unsuccessful quest for a Supreme Court seat. A3G poked fun at Miers's constantly changing hairstyles, her qualifications for the post, her knowledge of Supreme Court history, and her taste in books.

But A3G can't condone what's happening to Miers's onetime paramour, Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht. The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct is criticizing Hecht for the interviews he gave to the news media concerning Miers, on the theory that he violated the canon prohibiting a judge from "advanc[ing] the private interests of the judge or others." More details here.

A3G hasn't taken a close look at this issue, so perhaps she's missing something; but at first glance, this strikes her as dubious. Were the Third Circuit judges who testified before the Senate about Justice Samuel A. Alito acting unethically? What about Judges Walter Stapleton and Alex Kozinski, when they testified in support of their former law clerk, newly confirmed Judge Brett Kavanaugh?

What about a judge who writes a letter of recommendation for a former law clerk, or who agrees to serve as a reference for that clerk? What if a judge recommends a former clerk for a job -- e.g., a Supreme Court clerkship -- in the hope of burnishing his own judicial prestige and influential network of ex-clerks (e.g., the Luttigators)?

Isn't that judge "advanc[ing] the private interests of the judge or others"? And if so -- so what?

A UTR Salute to Judge Presnell

Being a good trial judge -- which is a far more difficult than being a good appellate judge -- requires the ability to cut through a lot of b.s.

Measured by this standard, it appears that Judge Gregory A. Presnell (M.D. Fla.) is nothing short of awesome.

Lawyers make everything so needlessly complicated. For example, who needs the voir dire process? What a waste of time! Just pick jurors using "Eeny meeny miney mo."

Judge orders lawyers to play game [Fortune]

Bench-Slapped: Scalia v. Alito?

Yes, you read that right. If you thought that Justice Alito was just going to be an acolyte of Justice Scalia -- Sancho Panza to Nino's Don Quijote* -- think again. You can read all about their spat here.

* Perhaps that was a less-than-ideal metaphor; Scalia looks more like Sancho Panza than Alito. Indeed, one devotee of Nino has bestowed upon him the nickname of "Sancho Panza from New Jersey."

Judicial SIGHT-ation: The Wheels of Justice Scalia

Here's a delicious little judicial sight-ation for all of you:

Saw Antonin Scalia driving (himself) in a Virginia-tagged blue/silver early 2000/1/2 model BMW 525. Emerging from the Supreme Court garage last Sunday [5/28] around 2:00. At first he seemed in a big hurry, but then he backed off my bumper a little bit. I’m impressed that he was working on a Sunday, but then again could’ve just been using the gym.

Article III Groupie has a high degree of confidence in this judicial celebrity sighting. She knows, from independent sources, that the Scalia-mobile is a Bimmer. When Justice Scalia and his clerks head out for lunch at AV Ristorante Italiano, they all pile into this vehicle.

A3G also once heard this story, which further supports Justice Scalia's driving of a BMW. Apparently the Justice parks his spiffy European vehicle next to Justice Breyer's jalopy in the Supreme Court garage. This arrangement caused Justice Scalia some amount of concern. At one point he complained (perhaps half-jokingly): "I don't want the door of Steve's junk heap denting up my BMW!"

(Note: This story may be apocryphal, and/or A3G may be misremembering the details. If you can confirm, please email her.)

(Robe swish for the sight-ation: Wonkette.)