Underneath Their Robes: UTR Exclusive: Posner on Roberts!

Oops, sorry -- the title of this post is totally misleading! But it sure got your attention, didn't it?

In her defense, Article III Groupie did attempt to get Judge Richard A. Posner (7th Cir.; pictured at left) to comment on the nomination of Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. (D.C. Cir.), to the United States Supreme Court. A3G thought that Judge Posner, as a prolific blogger who has not shied away from commenting on a wide range of hot-button topics, might be willing to share a few words on the topic du jour.

But as you can see from the correspondence reprinted below, The Giant Hedgehog declined to comment on Judge Roberts's nomination. Judge Posner did have some funny and interesting comments on other subjects, however, which A3G will now share with you in Courthouse Forum -- UTR's answer to Penthouse Forum, in which A3G reprints her correspondence with some of the biggest Article III celebrities.

From: Article III Groupie
To: Richard Posner
Date: Jul 22, 2005 12:21 AM
Subject: Judge Roberts's Nomination

Hello. How are you? I hope all is well. I continue to enjoy your blogging at the Becker-Posner Blog, including your insightful analysis of the gay marriage question and your masterful deployment of the semicolon.

I was writing to find out: Would you happen to have any thoughts that I might be able to share with my readers concerning the nomination of Judge John Roberts to the Supreme Court? I'm sure my readers would love to hear anything that you might have to say about the subject (even if it might just be a sentence or two).

On an unrelated subject, if you don't mind my asking, how much do you sleep each night? Is the secret to your success and unmatched productivity an ability to get by on less sleep than normal human beings?

It seems to me that your brilliance, while unparalleled, can only take you so far. What I mean by this is: How do you have enough hours in the day to convert your brilliant thoughts into judicial opinions, scholarly articles, books, and blog posts? At a certain point, the issue becomes how to translate your amazing insights into consumable product, just as a sheerly physical matter. Even if you were to type and/or give dictation, basically non-stop, for every waking moment of your existence, I don't see how you can produce as much as you do!

Best regards,

A3G

Article III Groupie received this delightful response:

From: Richard Posner
To: Article III Groupie
Date: Jul 22, 2005 1:01 AM
Subject: Re: Judge Roberts's Nomination

Dear Ms. Groupie,

I am afraid that, as a judge, it would not be proper for me to comment publicly on a judicial nomination.

I sleep an average of 6 hours a night. I am a fast worker, and I have relatively few distractions from work (my kids are grown, etc., and my wife handles all the practical aspects of living, including financial). So I can get a lot done.

And you, Ms. Groupie, I hear on good authority, are actually a collective, with at least one male member (no off-color pun intended). Deny it if you dare.

I am perhaps compulsive, but not a collective.

All the best, Richard A. Posner

P.S. Your blog continues to be excellent.

WOW! Some of you have asked A3G why she blogs (and why she spends such copious amounts of time on her blawg). The opportunity to correspond with her readers -- a large, diverse, and amazingly talented group, which includes such unspeakably brilliant folks as Judge Posner -- is a big part of the answer. And praise from her readers, including readers as august as Judge Posner, is also a major factor.

As for Judge Posner's ruminations on her identity, including his theory that she is actually multiple people, A3G must reiterate her prior comments on this subject. Could this be one of those rare occasions when Judge Posner, a judicial genius of the first rank, is actually wrong?

This isn't the first time A3G has been told that she is large, she contains multitudes.* She doesn't know whether to be flattered or offended! She's actually a little surprised, since she always thought of herself as sui generis, with a distinctive but consistent authorial voice that would rule out the involvement of multiple contributors.

Article 3 Groupie has heard some pretty crazy theories as to who she is; all she can do is reaffirm the accuracy of her author bio, her standard response to such speculation. It appears that people are attributing to her greater guile than she actually exercised in describing herself. Back when A3G started this blog and composed her blogger profile, she had no idea that Underneath Their Robes was going to become as big as it has become (as evidenced by her growing collection of press clippings, in the left-hand column of her blog). So A3G thought it would be safe to describe herself accurately, but at a high level of generality (namely, as an associate working at a "large law firm in a major city"). Ironically, this description of herself has protected A3G far better than she ever could have imagined, since it appears that nobody believes it!

Okay, back to the real stars of this blog: the federal judges that we all know and love. A3G got some great reader email over the weekend (which she's way behind in responding to), and some of this mail will be used in posts that should be appearing "soon" (subject to the demands of her day job). So don't change that blogosphere channel!

* For the record, this is simply a reference to Walt Whitman. A3G is most definitely not "large"!