July 25, 2005
Troubling Revelations
I haven't had anything to say about John Roberts so far, largely because I don't think there's much point. He's strongly conservative, and we can fight his nomination, but we're not going to do any better than him without dragging it out three more years. That ship sailed last November, and at least Roberts doesn't seem like a complete Janice Brown style wing-nut.
Except. It appears that John Roberts is a member of the Federalist Society, and was on the steering committee of the Lawyer's Division (they have a Student Division, Lawyer's Division, and recently a Faculty Division). While they tend towards the wingnut - Robert Bork is on the Visitors Council along with Edwin Meese and our good friend C. Boyden Gray, and Society membership is Secret - the Federalist Society is a well known part of modern mainstream conservativism. "There is simply not a single presidential appointee in a position of legal responsibility who is not a card-carrying member." Roberts' membership wouldn't be that surprising if he hadn't gone so far out of his way the past few years to deny it.
When news organizations have reported his membership in the society, he or others speaking on his behalf have sought corrections. Last week, the White House told news organizations that had reported his membership in the group that he had no memory of belonging. The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and the Associated Press printed corrections.[...]
In 2001, after he was nominated by President Bush for the seat he currently holds on the court of appeals, Roberts spoke to Post reporter James V. Grimaldi and asked him to correct an item Grimaldi had written that described Roberts as a member of the Federalist Society. In a subsequent column, Grimaldi wrote that Roberts "is not and never has been a member of the Federalist Society, as previously reported in this column."
Last Wednesday, the day after Bush announced Roberts's nomination, the officials working on the nomination asked the White House press office to call each news organization that had reported Roberts's membership to tell them that he did not recall being a member. Asked yesterday if the White House would have done so knowing about the leadership directory, Perino said "Yes."
Ah, I do love this White House. This should be interesting.
Posted by ben at July 25, 2005 07:47 AM