Boston Globe
by Thomas Oliphant

09/13/05

John Roberts is poised to win confirmation as the next chief justice of the United States because, among other things, he knows the law cold. But after one of the most near-perfect, resume-punching voyages ever to the Supreme Court, there is almost no evidence of his understanding of justice. ... To illustrate, I have no doubt that [he has] a detailed understanding of Plessy v. Ferguson, the landmark abomination that enshrined segregation in 1896 for another 58 years under the delusional mantra of 'separate but equal.' It wouldn't surprise me if Judge Roberts could quote sentences from Justice Henry Brown's majority opinion ... and even from John Harlan's passionate dissent. But I doubt very much that Roberts knows beans about Homer Plessy, and I can imagine him being tripped up even if asked Plessy's first name. It is that human face of justice, or injustice, that concerns me, and, from the available record anyway, has never interested Roberts...

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Informant: Thomas L. Knapp