September 16, 2005
Supreme movies
From "'Advise and Consent' Anyone?" by Dana Milbank:
Efforts to get an answer out of John G. Roberts were going nowhere at yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee meeting, so Sen. Charles E. Schumer went Hollywood."Your failure to answer questions is confounding me," the New York Democrat fumed at the nominee for chief justice. "It's as if I asked you: 'What kind of movies do you like? Tell me two or three good movies.' And you say, 'I like movies with good acting.' Then I ask you if you like 'Casablanca,' and you respond by saying, 'Lots of people like "Casablanca." ' You tell me, 'It's widely settled that "Casablanca" is one of the great movies.' "
As the laughter at his expense subsided, the judge's smile shifted toward a smirk. Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) moved to call a recess, but Roberts asked if he could reply to Schumer." 'Dr. Zhivago' and 'North by Northwest,' " the nominee deadpanned. The crowd scored it another point for Roberts.
I wish he would have answered "The Star Chamber." On first blush, no doubt the liberals would be shocked to hear that. After all it's about a group of judges, tired of watching criminals freed on technicalities, who decide to take the law into their own hands.
The ending seems to say that it's a bad thing to do that.
(True I'd say that the movies message is mixed.) Still it would have been a fun touch. Though, I suppose, a bit risky.
UPDATE: Another interesting choice would have been Class Action starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as a liberal father and corporate daughter who are usually on the opposite ends of the cases. Why this one? Because it also featured one Fred Dalton Thompson, now a former senator, who is guiding Judge Roberts around. Of course this would go over well with the Democrats, even though Thompson portrays an evil corporate attorney, because good guy liberal Jedidiah Ward (Hackman) wins and all is right with the world and defeats the malign corporation. (Think David Boies and Microsoft.)
Technorati tags: Judge Roberts, Supreme Court
