Welcome to the latest edition of Courthouse Forum: Letters to Article III Groupie. As first explained in this post, Courthouse Forum, in which A3G publishes notable reader correspondence, is UTR's answer to Penthouse Forum. The letters published in Courthouse Forum "will be as stimulating to connoisseurs of federal judicial gossip as Penthouse Forum is to those who appreciate erotica. 'Judge, is that a gavel underneath your robe, or are you just happy to see me?'"
Today Article III Groupie has a piece of correspondence to share that is very brief, but no less delicious for its brevity. In her post "What Federal Judges Want: Federal Judicial 'Wish Lists,'" A3G analyzed the Amazon.com "wish lists" of various federal judges. She closed the post with the contents of her own wish list, including "a romantic dinner at the French Laundry with Judge Richard Posner, at which the doubting Judge Posner will receive irrefutable proof of A3G's feminine identity."
In response to this post, late last week A3G received the following, amusingly titled e-mail message (which she publishes here with the permission of its author):
To: Article III Groupie
Subject: Gender Verification
From: Richard Posner [e-mail address omitted]
Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 17:59:41 -0500
Dear "Article III Groupie," I'm afraid I have no plans to visit California in the near future. But if you're ever in Chicago, I'd be happy to have lunch with you. Richard Posner
Wow! Yes, you read that correctly: A3G was just asked out on a lunch date by the Honorable (and Brilliant and Super-Fabulous) Richard Posner!
Not surprisingly, Article III Groupie practically fainted upon reading this message. She has not had this kind of contact with a federal judicial mega-celebrity since Judge Alex Kozinski descended from Mount Olympus to nominate himself for the superhottie competition (which he ultimately won).
As she has emphatically stated in these pages, Article III Groupie prizes her anonymity (a value that is under attack in this day and age, as noted by Judge Kozinski; see this post at Criminal Appeal). A3G's reference to a dinner date at the French Laundry with Judge Posner was made in jest; never in her wildest dreams did she think it would elicit a response from the heavens.
But now, one of her most fevered federal judicial fantasies has come true: she has been invited to dine with Judge Richard Posner. The prospect of an actual lunch with this preeminent jurist--and being able to brag about "My Lunch With Richard" for years to come--may be just enough to bring her out of hiding. This is an invitation that Article III Groupie must carefully consider...
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