Did I Mention There Are Nine Justices?

This bit of filler, to which ABC News resorts just four paragraphs into its story about Harriet Miers' Supreme Court nomination, gives you a sense of how little is known about her:

The court wields enormous influence over American life as the final arbiter of the US constitution and ultimate court of appeal, and has ruled on issues like abortion, the death penalty and same-sex marriage.

Justices are named for life but can step down.

ABC buries this bombshell in its 13th paragraph: " 'I believe the senators of both parties will find that Harriet Miers' talent, experience and judicial philosophy make her a superb choice to safeguard the constitutional liberties and equality of all Americans,' Mr. Bush said." Aha! She has a judicial philosophy! That sets her apart from newly minted Chief Justice John Roberts (by his account, anyway). Now if only we can get some sense of what that philosophy is before she's confirmed by an overwhelming majority of the Senate.

Comments

[Ruthless]

I wonder if her screen name might be Mona??

[joe]

Ha! Good one, Ruthless.

[thoreau]

My moratorium on identity speculations precludes me from lavishing well-deserved praise on Ruthless's joke.

[Jason]

Speaking of idiots in the press -- some hottie reporter on FNC just described John Roberts "sitting in the same chair as Chief Justice John Marshall." Someone should tell her that the current SCOTUS building was built long after Mr Marshall was dead and buried.

[Ruthless]

Jason,
But it might be the same chair. Seems I saw a picture of it in the book I was reading, Jefferson's Vendetta.

[Born Again Iconoclast]

Maybe one of you legal types can tell me, but it seems that she will be able to get with answering less questions before the Senate, being the President's personal attorney, she can claim attorney-client privilege. Am I offbase?

[thoreau]

Jason-

Could they have meant "chair" as in the figurative term "seat" frequently used to describe a high public office? People will frequently say "So-and-so occupies the Congressional seat once held by this other guy".

[s.m. koppelman]

Also, if a chair has been repaired, refinished, reupholstered and had a couple of legs replaced, is it still the same chair? What if all of the parts have been replaced one by one over time?

[Sigmund]

Sometimes a chair is just a chair.

[Radical Whig]

Remember Joe Biden at the Thomas hearings, waving around Richard Epstein's book as if it were a giant turd, forcing Thomas to disavow any sympathy? Given current political realities, we might be better off gambling on unknowns than demanding frank revelations.

[Yogi]

I think we have to go back to the original framer of the chair to its original intent.

[Yogi]

...to >get< its...

[Baylen]

Right now CNN's homepage is featuring a link to a video that's described as follows:

"SEEN ON CNN Watch: Analyzing Miers | Jeffrey Toobin says Harriet Miers has never been a judge (2:30)"

[Yogi]

Apparently she has a B.S. in Mathematics, which is good to hear. Maybe she'll put some logic back into SCOTUS.

[RandyAyn]

I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna make joe ejaculate:

http://www.confirmthem.com/?p=1393#comments

[Rick Barton]

I wonder if her screen name might be Mona??

We will know for sure if we hear: "One more pro-detainee ruling from this court and I'm going to resign from the bench! Don't you guys know we're at war?!"

[Jason]

The original chair is still in the "Old Supreme Court Chamber" in the Capitol. In addition, while "Congressional seat" is an oft' used term, I, personally, have never heard that type of term used in conjunction with SCOTUS and the point of the reference was to illustrate that he had to sit in this chair for ten min b/f Bush came in, not that he was Cheif Justice.. I think she was being an idiot

[Shem]

Jason-She was actually referencing the well-known fact that Chief Justice Roberts indulges in grave-robbery in his spare time. He stole the chair from Mr. Marshall's tomb, where it was intended to bring the former Chief Justice fortune in the afterlife, possibly some Egyptians believe.

Scalia complained about the smell, but he's a crybaby anyway so nobody cared.