Underneath Their Robes

Justice Clarence Thomas's Fabulous Book Party

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

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.

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!

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!

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.)

Judicial SIGHT-ation: Chief Justice Roberts -- and Carol Channing!

Details of how this frightening photo came to pass are available here. (If you share this reader's objection, however, then don't click through the link. Nobody is forcing you to press that mouse button!)

Update: The Wonkette post cited above now has this correction appended to it: "The original WaPo item, in stating that Channing signed an 'old photo' of herself for Roberts, could be read as suggesting that Chief Justice Roberts had this picture on his person. But a well-placed source advises: 'The Chief Justice does not carry around a picture of Carol Channing. She brought the picture, signed it, and gave it to him.'"

Apology from A3G, and Her Excuse: Forget War; Moving Is Hell!

Article III Groupie apologizes for her recent absence from these pages, and she knows that you have every reason to be upset. Please forgive her; she has been preoccupied by her recent move to Washington, D.C.

A3G has spent the past few weeks packing up all her worldly possessions, frantically moving them hundreds of miles, and fighting with utility companies in her new home city. In case it has been a while since you last moved, think back on how terrible that experience was -- then multiply it by, say, 17. Murphy's Law has applied to A3G's move!

Article 3 Groupie is still in the process of unpacking her stuff and furnishing her apartment at night, while trying to adjust to the demands of her new job by day. It has been overwhelming, exhausting, and stressful. It may take A3G several weeks -- or months -- to regain the semblance of a normal life.

But once A3G retakes control of her existence, you'll start seeing UTR posts on a more regular basis. A3G will be, as Dame Edna might say, "Back with a vengeance!"

In the meantime, for those of you looking for your regular fix of Supreme Court law clerk hiring gossip, check out Prettier Than Napoleon, by Amber Taylor. At least for the time being, given how crazy A3G's life is right now, she's happy to delegate the duty of stalking the Elect to Ms. Taylor.

So what brings A3G to our nation's capital? Well, she is working once again in the litigation department of a large law firm -- although she's switched over to appellate work, to avoid the document-review drudgery that caused her to suffer through many late nights (and broken nails). Meanwhile, her alter ego is blogging professionally -- yes, for a living, and actually not a bad one -- over at the politics blog Wonkette.

Speaking of Wonkette, A3G urges you to check it out, if you haven't done so lately. In the past week, there have been numerous posts of interest to Article III groupies. Here are a few recent posts that UTR readers are sure to enjoy:

-- a litany of juicy judicial sightations;

-- an imagined conversation between Senator Lincoln Chafee and then-Judge Samuel Alito, Jr., while staring at the Supreme Court building;

-- a Wheels-of-Justice-type post, describing Justice O'Connor gassing up her Buick and navigating Washington traffic;

-- some keen observation of how the four Supreme Court justices who attended the State of the Union behaved themselves;

-- some backroom gossip about various players in the Alito confirmation battle (including UTR's Prom Queen, the telegenic and talented Rachel Brand); and

-- a gossipy analysis of Senator John Kerry's decision to filibuster the Alito nomination -- featuring tidbits about Mirah Horowitz (OT 2001/Breyer), a well-connected and high-powered member of the Elect (that's redundant).

Oh, why bother making A3G dig up the links to all those Wonkette posts? Just make things easy on yourself by adding Wonkette to your blogroll or RSS feed. Enjoy!

A special note to UTR readers who live in New York (or would like to move there): A3G's apartment is for sale! The birthplace of UTR -- a lovely junior one bedroom, with an unbeatable location close to numerous cultural attractions, major subway lines, midtown offices, and Central Park -- is on the market. In case you might be interested, here's the listing. Thanks!

A special note to UTR readers who live in Washington: Wanna come over and help A3G unpack her thiings and organize her apartment? A modest cash stipend may be available. Please note that this would be a one-time-only kind of thing, with you working for A3G as an independent contractor.

No employer-employee relationship would be created; A3G ain't paying Social Security taxes on you. Who do you think she is -- Zoe Baird? (Oh, wait...)

Judicial SIGHT-ation: Justice O'Connor at "Cabaret"

Here's a quick judicial sightation (and proof that the beleaguered Article III Groupie still exists). A UTR reader provides this report:

Last night, Justice O'Connor was spotted at Georgetown Law School! She, with her husband and two other guests, attended a performance of Cabaret by the Georgetown Gilbert & Sullivan Society (Motto: "The only theater group with its own law school!"). The cast of mostly law students was totally jazzed that she came! (If you squint at this picture, you can make out the back of the Justice's head, reading a program in the dark.)

During intermission, the Justice was overheard praising the talents of the actors and singers. And rightly so -- the show is fantastic! Sadly, she left before the end of the show, probably because it was very late in the evening.

A3G, if you post this today, you can let your readers know that they can be as cool as Justice O'Connor by attending our show for closing night tonight, Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Georgetown Law Center, Hart Auditorium, 8 PM.

Fantastic! A3G, who is an avid theatregoer, urges all of her D.C.-based readers to check out the show. If you're not familiar with "Cabaret," by the great team of Kander & Ebb, this commentary by Jay Tamboli contains a concise and enticing description:

You’d think watching a musical about Nazis, abortion, and girls dancing in their underwear would be awkward enough sitting next to your girlfriend, but try it sitting near a Supreme Court Justice. “Undue burden” indeed!

Yes, "Cabaret" is that exciting -- a show not to be missed. And if you're lucky, perhaps another justice of the SCOTUS will make an appearance at this evening's performance. If so, you know whom to tell about it!

Judicial SIGHT-ation: Judge Alito Drowns Sorrows in Pizza

This blog has been the source of numerous celebrity sightings of Judge Samuel A. Alito. UTR correspondents have spotted Judge Alito on his way to get coffee and at a local supermarket (where he bagged his own groceries). Indeed, Article III Groupie fears that it's only a matter of time before she and her readers are slapped with a temporary restraining order, directing them to stay 500 feet away from Judge Alito.

But before that happens, let's get in one more judicial sightation of Judge Alito! Here it is:

Hi A3G. It's your loyal Newark correspondent, writing in with a judicial sightation of your beloved SCOTUS nominee, Judge Samuel Alito.

This sighting is an oldie, but a goodie; it took place a few weeks ago. I wasn't going to share it with you at first because it arguably places Judge Alito is a less-than-flattering light. But now that his own mother* has openly talked about how disappointed Judge Alito was when he didn't get nominated the first time around, losing out to Harriet Miers, I feel at liberty to share this with you.

On the Friday after the Miers nomination was announced (on that Monday), I was walking along Broad Street in downtown Newark with a few colleagues. We were on our way back from lunch. And suddenly, my heart skipped a beat. Like any good Article III groupie, I recognized the man walking toward us, heading down Broad Street in the other direction: the Honorable Samuel A. Alito, Jr.!

Judge Alito was walking by himself, unaccompanied by his law clerks, and he was looking absolutely inconsolable. His face bore an expression of the most exquisite and profound sadness -- a look of misery so intense that only the great Isabelle Huppert could conjure it up. If I knew any of this year's Alito clerks, I would have whipped out my cell phone then and there, called one of them up, and said, "Remove all sharp objects from chambers immediately!"

As we walked past Judge Alito, I looked over my shoulder to see where he was heading. He walked into Queen Pizza -- an eatery that some of us refer to, with a mix of affection and indigestion, as "the pizza dump." The pizza at Queen is decent and cheap ($1.50 a slice). But it's hardly an establishment fit for an Article III demigod! The thought of a Supreme Court short-lister eating there depressed me.

Here's my speculation: devastated by his losing the Supreme Court nomination to Harriet Miers, Sam Alito was heading in to the Queen to grab some Italian comfort food. Perhaps he ordered up a plate full of ziti, just like Mamma Rose used to make?

By the way, A3G, rumor has it that the Alito clerks maintain their own (ironic?) version of Zagat's, dedicated to describing Newark's many fine eateries (yes, that was sarcastic). If the Michelin Guide can make it to New York, can a hop across the Hudson to Newark be far behind?

A3G thanks her reader for this scrumptious sightation. It appears that Supreme Court nominees enjoy a slice of pizza every now and then (as do the justices themselves; Justice Scalia reportedly frequents AV Ristorante, where he orders pizza with anchovies). Supreme Court justices: They're just like us!!!

On a somewhat related note, in light of the news reports quoting Rose Alito concerning her son's disappointment when Harriet Miers was nominated, some of you have asked whether Judge Alito might be the judge mentioned in this "Justice Is Blind" item (item #3). Alas, A3G can neither confirm nor deny the identities of any of the judges mentioned in her blog's blind items (which are some of the most sensitive and controversial things that she publishes). She appreciates your understanding.

* Since her son's nomination to the Supreme Court, poor Rose Alito, besieged by the media, has become "a prisoner in her longtime home" (as reported in The Trentonian, via How Appealing).

Justice Ginsburg, Mountain Momma

"Country roads, take her home

To the place where she belongs

Justice Ginsburg, mountain momma,

Take her home, country roads..."

Actually, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an improbable "mountain momma." One would be hard-pressed to pick a Supreme Court justice who would be more out of place in West Virginia than RBG. But this, dear readers, is a world full of surprises.

Last month, Justice Ginsburg made her way to the Mountain State. On October 20, Ruthie gave a speech at the West Virginia University College of Law, the Edward G. Donley Memorial Lecture. A video of her remarks can be accessed via How Appealing.

A West Virginia-based reader who was on the scene chimes in with a plethora of judicial sightations:

Although we did not have Nino, Breyer, and several other judges in the same room, I thought that I would send along some details of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s visit to West Virginia University College of Law on Thursday, October 20. Ever since the Roberts nomination, I’ve had a questionably healthy obsession with the federal judiciary, and your site has joined the list of places that I visit daily.

Although Rehnquist and O’Connor both paid visits to Morgantown in the last decade, Ginsburg’s delivering the Donnelly Memorial Lecture truly brought many people from the federal judiciary to our state’s sole law school. Judge M. Blane Michael and Judge Robert B. King from the United State Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit made it to the events. Judge Irene Keeley* (whom I would like to nominate for your judicial hottie list, see photo at right) and Judge Robert Maxwell from the U.S.D.C. for the Northern District of West Virginia, plus Judge Robert Chambers from the Southern District, all attended.

WOW! That's an impressive line-up; Justice Ginsburg was welcomed by a gaggle of federal judicial celebrities. (And their presence can't be chalked up to a desire to suck up to their circuit justice; that would be Justice Thomas Chief Justice Roberts.)

Ginsburg held a morning session to which only law students were admitted, in which she answered questions about a number of topics including foreign law, Kelo, the ERA, and her personal career. She talked about the change from Rehnquist to Roberts, observing that Roberts is young enough to be the son of most of the court members, and that all of the justices recognize him as the best advocate to come before the court prior to his D.C. Circuit appointment. Um yeah, that’s kind of an awesome compliment. She also talked about how her daughter and son-in-law were 2Ls on the law review at HLS when Roberts was managing editor and that she had the inside scoop about his fairness, efficiency, and goodness from her family connection.

Her afternoon session, with the judicial faces mentioned above, was broadcast throughout the state. Though much of her talk on women in the law was general, she tailored some of her remarks to West Virginia, which was unique -- thanks, RBG clerks! She started her afternoon talk with a very nice tribute to Rehnquist, and she ended it with some words about O’Connor.

Fantastic and fascinating! It sounds like Justice Ginsburg's trip down the country road went very well indeed. Perhaps RBG will visit West Virginia again in the near future? (And no, vacationing at The Greenbrier doesn't count.)

(If you're wondering about why Article III Groupie isn't blogging about the Alito nomination, she has a good excuse. A3G has been getting killed at work lately -- see, she really does work at a law firm -- and she's several days behind in her newspaper and blog reading. So, in order to avoid embarrassing herself, she's going to hold off on blogging about current events until she has done her catch-up reading. Please bear with her!)

* Like Justice Ginsburg, Judge Keeley was also born in Brooklyn, New York.