Underneath Their Robes

Judicial Diva, She's Homeless

"La da dee la dee da,
La da dee la dee da..."

Yes, it's true: Judge Carolyn Kuhl, one of UTR's top three judicial divas, has been bounced out onto the mean streets of LA. Details here. (Robe swish: How Appealing.)

First political hacks hold up Judge Kuhl's nomination to the Ninth Circuit  (which she eventually asks to be withdrawn). And now, denied a seat on the federal bench, Judge Kuhl is reduced to working on street corners -- literally. Check out this photo (by Richard Hartog/LAT):

Article III Groupie has said it once, and she'll say it again: State court judges are icky. It's hard out here for a non-Article III judge!

P.S. Is Judge Kuhl stifling a yawn -- or is she just about to sneeze?

The Chief's New Biatch

Administrative assistants to powerful Washingtonians are often highly attractive (e.g., Taylor Hughes, Karl Rove's assistant). Hiring a hottie is eminently sensible. If the duties to be performed are relatively straightforward, why not have them performed by someone comely?

Chief Justice John G. Roberts's new "administrative assistant," Jeffrey Minear, is an exception to this rule. Although reasonably attractive for a man of his age, Minear's no hottie -- unless you're talking about his resume. Here's an excerpt from the SCOTUS press release announcing his appointment:

Minear was a chemical engineer for Union Carbide Corporation in Texas City, Texas, from 1977 to 1979. After receiving his law degree in 1982, he held a one-year appointment as a judicial clerk for Judge Monroe G. McKay of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Minear then joined the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice.... From 1985 to 1998, he was assistant to the Solicitor General, United States Department of Justice, responsible for Supreme Court and appellate litigation focusing on civil, environmental, and intellectual property issues. In his current position as senior litigation counsel, Minear is responsible for Supreme Court and appellate litigation and for overseeing the government's participation in all Supreme Court original actions. Minear has argued 56 cases before the Supreme Court.

Wow -- how many "administrative assistants" have argued before the Court 56 times?

But then again, the Chief Justice's "administrative assistant" isn't your typical administrative assistant, as the WSJ Law Blog notes:

Minear’s title will be administrative assistant, which, frankly, sounds like a lame title for a guy who has argued 56 cases before the Supremes.... Think of him as Roberts’s chief of staff, helping run the court and monitor judicial issues. (Congress created the administrative assistant position by statute in 1972; maybe it thought that the title of “Chief of Staff to the Chief Justice” sounded funny.)

So don't expect Minear to be fetching coffee and muffins for the chambers. After all, that's Chief Justice Roberts's job...

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It's Off to One First Street They Go

Justice White (Snow, not Byron): "Okay, raise your hand if you vote to affirm!"

If you're reading this blog, congratulations. Give yourself a big pat on the back. Odds are that you are much smarter and more well-informed than the average American. Consider the results of a recent poll:

Sleepy, Grumpy, Larry, Moe, Krypton -- that's what seems to stick in the national mind-set these days. Americans are more familiar with the Seven Dwarfs, the Three Stooges and Superman than with current events and world leaders, according to yet another poll that reveals our trite side.

In a survey released yesterday, veteran political pollster John Zogby determined that although 77 percent of us can identify two of the Seven Dwarfs, only 24 percent could name two Supreme Court justices.

God save the Republic...

Okay, let's say you're a justice on the Supreme Court, and you want to increase your name recognition. What should you do?

We recommend public discussion of the oeuvre of Long Dong Silver:

"Not surprisingly, Clarence Thomas, whose nomination was marked by controversy, was the most recognized justice -- identified twice as often as his next best-known peer on the Supreme Court -- Antonin Scalia," the survey stated.

Justice Thomas was cited by almost 20 percent of the respondents and Justice Scalia by a little less than 11 percent. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg were tied at 9 percent. Sixty-three percent were unsure just who was on the Supreme Court. Only 11 percent knew that Samuel A. Alito Jr. was confirmed as the 110th Supreme Court justice in January.

You can be a brilliant law professor and former D.C. Circuit judge, like Justices Scalia and Ginsburg; a top Supreme Court litigator, like Chief Justice Roberts; or a former U.S. Attorney and one of the nation's best appellate judges, like Justice Alito. But the American people still won't have a clue about who you are, even after you're appointed to the Supreme Court.

We live in a great nation. Nothing captures the public imagination like pubic hair in carbonated beverages...

(For more on the Supreme Court and the Seven Dwarfs, check out this post at Southern Appeal. Genius.)

Summer School for Chief Justice Roberts?

There are some people out there who just seem too perfect -- you know, like Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, or Chief Justice John G. Roberts. We cherish those rare moments when these figures show that they are, in fact, human.

Like when Condi falls asleep in a meeting , or when Chief Justice Roberts misspeaks. Or when the Chief fumbles his response to an interview question:

When asked which Framer Roberts would most like to have been, Roberts responded that he liked to think that he would have been a Framer that “brokered the great compromises.”

A Framer who "brokered the great compromises"? Sounds like a punt to us, Mr. Chief Justice. Care to name names? It's like being asked which former Supreme Court justice you would most like to have been, and answering, "Uh, like, the one who wrote all those cool opinions."

Summer reading for Chief Justice Roberts: some good histories of the Founding.

(No, A3G also can't name the specific Framer(s) who "brokered the great compromises." But she's not the Chief Justice of the United States -- or even a member of the Elect. So don't look to her for that kind of knowledge. For extra credit, identify the great compromise brokers in the comments to this post.)

C-SPAN Interviews Chief Justice Roberts [Orin Kerr]

Chief Justice Roberts: Underneath His Robe

Chief Justice John G. Roberts has barely warmed the Supreme Court bench, but there's already a biography out about him. John G. Roberts, Jr.: Chief Justice is a short bio of the Chief, intended for a young adult audience. It was written by Lisa Tucker McElroy, author of Meet My Grandmother, She's a Supreme Court Justice, about Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Here are some juicy tidbits about the Chief that McElroy unearthed, as reported in an article by Tony Mauro (gavel bang: How Appealing):

1. Chief Justice Roberts's favorite color is green.

2. He loves chocolate -- don't we all? -- and his office has a stash of Hershey's Kisses.

3. JGR "cooks up a mean platter of shrimp marinara at family gatherings."

4. Chief Justice Roberts is super-nice, and when he "heads to the Court cafeteria for a muffin in the morning... he'll ask others in his office if he can pick up one for them too."

(Mr. Chief Justice, A3G would like a corn muffin, please.)

5. Oh, and what about those gold stripes (or the absence thereof)? Chief Justice Roberts told McElroy:

You have to earn your stripes, and I thought it was a little early to be doing that. It seemed to me that simple black was more appropriate. On the other hand, no one ever looks to me for fashion advice.

Chief Justice Roberts, don't be so modest! You may know more about fashion than you let on...

UTR Cribs: An Invaluable New Resource

As reported by Curbed, a blog well-loved by connoisseurs of New York real estate porn, previously private prices for co-op apartment sales are now available online -- courtesy of the New York City government. Just click here, then enter the name of your favorite New York-based federal judge, to see how much they paid for their apartment (or how big their mortgage is). Thanks, Mayor Bloomberg!

Unfortunately, the data appears to be incomplete. Many transactions show up with $0 as the sale price.  But most entries do show the address of the property in question -- which can then be used, in conjunction with tools like Google and local real estate listings, to estimate the value of a particular jurist's home.

Article III Groupie has run a few searches for noted S.D.N.Y. and Second Circuit judges, which have turned up some interesting bits of information. But she won't name names, since she does not want to be accused of violating the security or privacy of any judge. You can just go do it yourself, with information that is now all a matter of public record, placed online by NYC.gov. Happy Searching!

Food for thought: Given the security threats that they routinely face, will federal judges -- or an organization that represents their interests -- take action to keep their home address information private?

A Law Clerk Hiring Update: Alito's Kids

Article III Groupie has a huge backlog of Supreme Court clerk hiring news in her email inbox. Thanks to all of you who have sent tips her way. She's grateful for the identities of the SCOTUS clerks, as well as the fun facts about them that you've submitted.

For now, a quick update on Justice Samuel A. Alito's clerks for October Term 2006. Via Brian Leiter (blog post and comments), and Wikipedia (List of Law Clerks of the Supreme Court), here they are:

--Michael S. Lee (BYU '97/Benson/Alito)

--Christopher J. Paolella (Harvard '99/Alito)

--Matthew A. Schwartz (Columbia '03/Alito)

--Gordon D. Todd (UVA '00/Beam)

Since you can find their names and biographical details elsewhere on the web, A3G will endeavor to add some value. Here are some interesting facts about each:

--Michael S. Lee: son of former Solicitor General Rex Lee

--Christopher J. Paolella: talented college debater for Princeton; in the class of Alito Third Circuit clerks that developed Alito's Bold Justice coffee blend

--Matthew A. Schwartz (Columbia '03/Alito): like Paolella, a former parliamentary debate whiz

--Gordon D. Todd (UVA '00/Beam): worked on Alito's confirmation while at the DOJ; married to another member of the Elect, Luttigatrix Kathryn Comerford Todd, a partner at Wiley Rein & Fielding (OT 2000/Thomas)

Congratulations, kids -- Mamma Groupie is proud of you!

A UTR Summer Reading List

Here are a few books that Article III Groupie has read or is looking forward to reading:

Anonymous Lawyer, by Jeremy Blachman (of Anonymous Lawyer blog fame). This is a quick, fun read. Some readers -- especially those who have actually worked at law firms, unlike Blachman (who was spared that fate) -- may find the satire too over-the-top, a few plot details implausible, or the humor a little repetitive. But the book has some laugh-out-loud moments, and it's briskly plotted. In short, it's a good summer book. Enjoy it by the pool or at the beach.

In the Shadow of the Law, by Kermit Roosevelt. A3G briefly blogged about it last summer; now it's out in paperback. A3G hasn't read it yet, but a law school classmate strongly recommended it (as did Alan Dershowitz). Roosevelt is one of the Elect (OT 1999/Souter), as well as super-cute. This book is on A3G's nightstand.

Courtiers of the Marble Palace, by Todd C. Peppers. Given her obsession with Supreme Court clerks, Article 3 Groupie can't wait to start reading this one. It's worth buying just for the appendix material alone, which includes a comprehensive listing of Supreme Court clerks from 1884 to 2004 (by justice). WOW!

Becoming Justice Blackmun, by Linda Greenhouse. This book, by the Femme Fatale of One First Street, received glowing reviews when it appeared last year. Now it's also out in paperback. Get your hands on a copy, stat!

The Interpretation of Murder, by Jed Rubenfeld. This historical thriller, based on the life of Sigmund Freud, won't hit bookstores until September (although A3G has finagled herself a copy, 'cause she's that cool). It's not about legal subjects; but its author, the hunky Jed Rubenfeld, is a professor at Yale Law School (as is his stunning wife, Amy Chua).

Rubenfeld's publisher, Henry Holt, paid him an eye-popping advance (reportedly $800,000). It's also supporting the book with a $500,000 marketing campaign. They're betting big on this one.

Interesting factoid: Blachman and Rubenfeld share the same editor (John Sterling) at the same publisher (Henry Holt), as well as the same superstar agent (Suzanne Gluck of William Morris, the queen of literary dealmaking). If you think the legal world is small, check out publishing circles.

Happy Reading!

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.

One First Street: Under Construction

Last Thursday, July 6, the Supreme Court-obsessed Article III Groupie paid another visit to One First Street. A3G's last visit to the Court wasn't that long ago (June 28). But you know A3G -- she can't get enough of this stuff!

The exterior of the SCOTUS building has been transformed. With the Term completed, and the nine Justices scattered to the four winds, the Court's never-ending renovation project has picked up speed. Check out all that scaffolding:

Apparently the Court's marble facade is being inspected to prevent further occurrences of falling marble. (White Vermont marble, in case you're wondering.)

Due to the presence of the scaffolding, the main entrance to the Court is closed. To enter the building, visitors must walk around to the side entrance, on Maryland Avenue. A sign posted by that entrance claims identifies summer 2008 as the scheduled completion date for the renovation:

When the Supreme Court was first completed in 1935, it came in ahead of schedule and under budget -- an amazing feat for a federal government construction project. Of course, the Great Depression may have helped on these fronts; labor was cheap and plentiful.

Will the current SCOTUS modernization project enjoy similar success? A3G has her doubts...