Finally, Article III Groupie some halfway decent gossip to pass along concerning Judge John G. Roberts of the D.C. Circuit. Well, better late than never!
As A3G previously noted, Judge Roberts's wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, is a highly accomplished lawyer. She is a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, one of the nation's largest and most successful law firms, where she oversees the firm's professional development and training program. (As noted here, before Jane Roberts withdrew from the active practice of law to assume the role of professional development partner, she practiced in the "highly technical field of satellite procurement"; before that, she worked as a litigatrix.)
Now, with her husband under the microscope as a Supreme Court nominee, Mrs. Jane Roberts is rapidly becoming a celebrity in her own right. The media has reported on her childhood in the Bronx, her lack of pretense (she drove an old Volkswagen Bug around for years), the difficult time that she and her husband had adopting children, and the fact that no one has ever heard her curse. She is a devout Catholic, and her work for the pro-life organization Feminists for Life has made her a lightning rod for the left.
Earlier today, perhaps in an effort to impress the star-struck summer associates at Pillsbury Winthrop, Mrs. Roberts was trotted out at a firm luncheon to regale them with tales of life as the wife of a SCOTUS nominee. She was asked for her views of the press coverage of her husband's nomination, which she said she regarded as fair for the most part. She did express some annoyance, however, over the Washington Post article that criticized her for dressing her children in 19th-century clothing.*
(Uh-oh -- A3G hopes that her own unfavorable review of Mrs. Roberts's pink suit was not similarly upsetting! It was intended as constructive criticism, from one conservative woman to another.)
At the lunch, Mrs. Roberts was also asked about how she responded when President Bush called her husband, told him that he was the nominee, and invited the Roberts family to dinner at the White House that evening. Mrs. Roberts said she focused on getting the children naps, so they wouldn't go into a "meltdown" at 9:00 p.m., and getting suitable clothes ready for them.
Smart thinking -- they don't pay Jane Roberts the Biglaw bucks for nothing! To her credit, Mrs. Roberts did succeed in preventing her kids from entering full meltdown mode. As millions of Americans surely noticed, daughter Josephine Roberts was exceptionally well-behaved. As for the Roberts' son Jack, sure, he was a tad hyperactive, maybe verging on meltdown -- but everybody loved him!
If Judge Roberts wins confirmation to the Court, it will be due not to his stellar credentials or his reasonable jurisprudence, but his absolutely adorable son. Four-year-old Jack Roberts hijacked a major news conference from a sitting president and a D.C. Circuit judge (a figure who is, in the world of UTR, more exalted than the president). Little Jack charmed the entire country with a delightful dance routine, which he performed just steps away from the presidential podium. Fantastic!
Article Three Groupie has lost count of how many people have accessed this blog by running Google searches like jack roberts dancing and jack roberts video clip. Well, A3G's here to help. To access the video clip, click here, scroll down the page, then click on the link in the lower left-hand corner that reads, "Young Jack Roberts steals the show."
You'll have to put up with a brief ad, as well as some unnecessary commentary and archival footage of other misbehaving political progeny (e.g., Andrew Giuliani, the late JFK Jr. as a boy in Camelot). But you'll definitely get to see the Robertsian tyke busting his moves at the White House. Enjoy!
(Update: A dancing Jack Roberts video clip and photo are also available via this post (by controversial and opinionated hottie Michelle Malkin).)
* The article in question was written by WaPo fashion editrix Robin Givhan, who has been repeatedly accused of allowing her political biases to color her style judgments. This pic of Givhan, clad in what appears to be A3G's shower curtain, puts one in mind of a certain saying involving glass houses and stones...
i was looking through some old boxs snd found pictures of jane sullivan roberts and my nannys when they where younger i asked my nanny why she had them and she told me that jane was my nannys first cousin i dont want to give out my nannys name but if any one has any kind of information yhet you think might help me i would really be greatfull i want to find out more about my family please help me
help me
Posted by: help me | September 04, 2009 at 06:35 PM