Witty Roberts

NRO's Corner has some delightful quotes from John Roberts' writings while he was in the White House counsel's office lo 20 years ago.

In one, dated 1983, he takes on the idea that Supreme Court justices just work so very, very hard: "While some of the tales of woe emanating from the court are enough to bring tears to one's eyes, it is true that only Supreme Court justices and school children are expected to and do take the entire summer off."


Another quip: "The generally accepted notion that the court can only hear roughly 150 cases each term gives the same sense of reassurance as the adjournment of the court in July, when we know the Constitution is safe for the summer."

Boy, is this a pet pieve of mine that Roberts hits squarely out of the park - Judges who don't work as hard as the rest of us. Lest I be misquoted here, and my reputation among judges ruined, many, many judges work extremely hard and do a wonderful job. But many, many do not, rely on their clerks entirely too much, get decisions out way, way, too late, etc. The worst part is, how can a lawyer properly complain to the judge deciding the lawyer's client's case that the judge is taking too long? You can't, so you just have to repeat some quotes from a Supreme Court nominee expressing the same sentiment on your blog.