Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Speaks at the University of Miami
From Hurricane-Online:
If not for a chance encounter between two judges at the University of Miami Law School in 1978, John G. Roberts, Jr. may not be where he is today – chief justice of the United States Supreme Court.
William Rehnquist, then an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, and Henry Friendly, an appellate judge on the second circuit, met at a UM Law School event and soon became friends. Roberts clerked for Friendly from 1979 to 1980, straight out of Harvard Law School.
Roberts, 51, recounted this and other stories to 3,000 students, faculty and special guests at the inaugural University Lecture Series Monday night at the BankUnited Center.
The friendship between Rehnquist and Friendly led the former to hire Roberts as a clerk in 1980. Dean Colson, chairman of the UM Board of Trustees, began clerking for Rehnquist at the same time.
“We all knew that he was special, even at that young age [25],” he said in his introductory remarks at the event.
In a phone interview with The Miami Hurricane, Colson said that Roberts is one of the greatest lawyers in the country and will be a great chief justice.
Colson, who invited Roberts to speak at UM about a month ago, was the best man at Roberts’ wedding in 1996.
Roberts and his wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, adopted two infants in 2000 – Josephine and Jack.
“A great thing about having young children is that they don’t care if you’re the chief justice or whatever, they do make sure you have a good perspective on life and what’s important,” he said.
Jack, 5 at the time, became famous for stealing the spotlight at his father’s press conference at the White House after President George W. Bush nominated Roberts in July 2005 to replace retiring associate justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
“People think Jack was dancing,” Roberts said. “He was not dancing; he was being Spider-Man.”
Roberts said he looked forward to sitting on the bench with his former boss, Rehnquist.
But, sadly, this would not be.
Rehnquist, who became chief justice in 1986, died on Sept. 3, 2005. Three days later, Bush nominated Roberts, who was one of Rehnquist’s pallbearers, to fill the seat.
In discussing his responsibilities as chief justice, he said the importance of the job hits him almost everyday.
“If you think about it too much it can be paralyzing,” he said, adding that he believes the position should be used to help the court speak with one voice. “It is an important responsibility because you can exercise some power of persuasion in getting the court to function as a court.”
As a court, Roberts believes that there is one quality that sits low on the list of those that should be present at conference sessions, when the nine justices go around the table voicing their opinions.
“Boldness is a virtue you look for in other branches [rather] than the judicial,” he said, noting that it is the responsibility of the elected legislature to bring about concrete change in society.
As is such, Roberts repeatedly emphasized the role and independence of the judiciary.
“Judges are protected from politics because they are supposed to uphold the rule of law,” he said, adding, “There’s a lot more to life than politics.”
A Virtual Tour of the Federal Supreme Court
When you’re visiting the Supreme Court in Washington D.C., you can take a tour and participate in a lecture inside the main courtroom where oral arguments are heard. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the Court and learn how much Americans don’t know about our court system by the questions that are asked during the lecture.
Bar members are entitled to preferred seating just behind the counsel tables, and the courtroom is much smaller than most federal courts. There is virtually no well between counsel tables and the bench, and the room is not overly intimidating. Bar members can also use the Supreme Court law library, a bit smaller than the law library at the Library of Congress, but much quieter, with no lines to wait in for help from the librarians.
But the best part about the tour is to actually take a shot on the highest court in the land. That’s right, above the courtroom and the law library is a low-ceiling basketball court – a full court. You can take a few shots there if no one is using it and the Court is not in session.
[thanks to May It Please The Court and Candrl]
