"Oops--she did it again!" Article III Groupie screwed up.
A3G has been a reasonably active blogger as of late, and we all know what that means: UTR corrections can't be far behind. Sure enough, A3G has some boo-boos to fix, which she addresses in this latest installment of Amended Opinions: UTR Corrections and Clarifications.
But first, a few words of explanation are in order. In researching and writing her posts, Article III Groupie must rely upon the information that she receives from UTR's (large and growing) readership. She is always grateful for tips from her correspondents. But sometimes A3G receives information that is incorrect, and she unfortunately lacks the time and resources to conduct the kind of fact-checking that is performed by major news outlets. This is why she's so thankful to those readers who write to her and bring errors and omissions to her attention. When it comes to accuracy, better late than never! (These remarks are, of course, offered by way of explanation, not excuse. A3G, like the author of a law review article, will not shift the blame: she thanks her readers for their information and insights, but all mistakes are her own.)
(Right now some of you might be thinking, "Perhaps UTR needs to institute more extensive fact-checking procedures before it publishes items." Dear reader, you must be mistaking A3G--a mere blogress--for a "real journalist." Of course, even "real journalists" make mistakes. See, e.g., Jayson Blair, Stephen Glass, and Dan Rather.)
A3G deeply regrets the errors listed below, for which she accepts full responsibility. Unfortunately, in the world of gossip, mistakes are inevitable. As the old saying goes, "You can't make a fluffy and delicious omelette of federal judicial gossip without breaking some eggs!"
1. Judge Sentelle's taste in movies. One reader writes:
I'm a big fan of your site. Been recommending it to all my friends. But I must take exception to your characterization of Judge Sentelle's taste in cinema as "not exactly the pinnacle of cinematic sophistication." The films he selected--Shane, The Searchers, High Noon, Harvey, etc.--are pretty universally considered among the greatest achievements of classical Hollywood. John Ford is arguably the greatest American-born director, and The Searchers is quite probably his finest film. And High Noon--well, it's not only a truly great film, but a key inspiration of Solidarity. Recall the iconic Solidarity poster, using the image of Gary Cooper to evoke the "cowboy" Ronald Reagan...
The reader who submitted this comment knows what he's talking about: he is Brian Frye, an acclaimed filmmaker, curator, and now a 3L at NYU. But you don't need to take Mr. Frye's word for it (and A3G understands why you might not want to--as noted here, he has filmed his own "failure at the one thing virtually every young man can succeed at"). According to the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest movies, several of Judge Sentelle's picks are among the best American films of the 20th century--see #33, #69, and #96.
Article III Groupie apologizes to Judge Sentelle--a.k.a. "Judge Dave," as in Judge Dave and the Rainbow People--for calling into question his taste in movies.
(In case you're wondering, UTR's policy of preserving the anonymity of its contributors and correspondents remains unchanged. In this case, given the circumstances, A3G obtained Mr. Frye's permission to be identified by name in these pages.)
2. Judge Calabresi's taste in hotels. One of A3G's most controversial posts has been Kiss Me, Guido: The E! True Hollywood Story of Judge Guido Calabresi. Some readers found it entertaining and informative, while others found it unfair and inaccurate.
A3G admits that the post is inaccurate in one critical respect. In "Kiss Me, Guido," she wrote:
A3G concedes that the narrative outlined above may be a bit melodramatic (hence the subtitle of this post, "The E! True Hollywood Story of Judge Guido Calabresi”). But hey, it could have been worse. Imagine a film entitled Leaving New Haven, in which the dejected Guido holes himself up in the squalid Holiday Inn on Whalley Avenue, for a weekend of suicidal binge drinking...
This paragraph contains an error (which serves A3G right, for using a joke submitted by a reader without verifying the factual premises). A New Haven-based UTR correspondent informs her of the following:
The Holiday Inn on Whalley is now a Courtyard by Marriott. While some improvements have been made, the hotel will always remain "ghetto" due to its location, more specifically, the fact that it is directly across the street from Popeye's Chicken, the earthly instantiation of the Platonic Form of "Ghetto-ness."
Having made this important correction, Article III Groupie stands by the piece.
3. The justices' taste in underwear. This next item isn't a correction so much as a clarification. A reader chastises A3G as follows:
Love your stuff. I always thought it was great that you started a great "me-too" blog following in Dahlia L's footsteps. But then I see that you think that SHE'S ripping YOU off? ("Hmm--this all sounds très UTR, no? Could Ms. Lithwick be a reader of these august pages?") Please. Dahlia (Ms. Lithwick to you) was writing about the Article III skivvies while you were a 2L dreamily licking envelopes for clerkship applications. Note the date of this column. Respect for your elders, child,
Friend of Dahlia
Washington, DC
A3G must clarify the record. In the post in question, she did not mean to imply that Ms. Lithwick was pulling a Larry Tribe; rather, she was merely raising the (highly flattering) possibility that Ms. Lithwick reads A3G's humble blog. As one can tell from all references to Ms. Lithwick in UTR, A3G deeply admires Ms. Lithwick and her work. (To be sure, Ms. Lithwick has even bigger fans--check out The Dahlia Dispatches, "a fan page for Dahlia Lithwick, the rockingest Supreme Court columnist ever ever ever").
A3G apologizes for the misunderstanding. With the benefit of hindsight, she can see how her comment could be construed in this manner. And she recommends the column cited by "Friend of Dahlia" most highly, in which Ms. Lithwick offers educated and hilarious guesses at the justices' underwear preferences (e.g., Justice O'Connor, "nylon slip, J.C. Penney"; Justice Ginsburg, "a fabulous Victoria's Secret matched set in a snakeskin print").
She stands corrected,
What's wrong with Popeye's?
Posted by: Scott | October 12, 2004 at 06:45 PM