Hey are y'all listening to or watching the Roberts Supreme Court confirmation hearings? You totally should be. They are fucking fascinating. Plus if Roberts is confirmed (heh heh, "if"), he will be only the 17th Chief Justice on the Supreme Court. It's kind of an amazing thing.

First of all there were the opening remarks yesterday by all 300 (okay, I think it's like 18-- but some of them are windy) Senate Judiciary Committee members, which put together became sort of an old fashioned warfare-style (you know, where one line of Union soldiers faced a line of Confederate soldiers, they shot on cue, and broke for lunch) debate between Republicans and Democrats. The Dems want Roberts to answer some damn questions, and the Reps want Roberts to shut up and be confirmed already. This is a broad generalization.

Then they are also having firing-line arguments about "judicial activism" and "constitutional constructionism." Really both the Ds and the Rs are a little pissed about the Supremes and other courts supposedly making laws from the bench (remember the private property ruling that had everyone from every side in an undie bunch of doom?)-- I guess we all get a little territorial from time to time. And then, the hot new topic in constitutional law (hot!!) is whether the Constitution can be interpreted or if it never fucking changes (that constructionist thing)-- generally Big D leans to the side of being able to interpret the constitution based on the way things are now... which basically means that Dems believe full civil rights extend to gay people (heavens no!!).

Roberts is both answering and not answering questions, and all of his answers are just dripping with methodical legal brain, but the thing you've got to think about when you're listening to him is this: Roberts wants to be confirmed, and with a 55-45 Republican majority in the Senate, he's depending on the Republican vote to give him the big chair on the Court. If, no matter what he actually thinks, he says something that might make it seem like he's not going to be a big ol' constructionist, or makes it seem like he's going to be objective in his rulings rather than being a huge conservative, he won't get the votes.

Sink your own teeth into the political politics of this supposedly unpolitical office:
Senate Webcast
Listen Live at KUOW.org