I have been a member of the Supreme Court Historical Society for over a decade. i like reading very much Supreme Court History Magazine. Also, when I’m in town I try to attend various events, especially reenactments of famous cases. One of my favorite things was seeing Justice Ginsburg preside over the reenactment Mueller v. Oregon. I almost laughed out loud when she cited this precedent so enthusiastically. Lochner v. New York.
Each year, the association holds its annual meeting at the Supreme Court. (During the epidemic, the meeting was held online). I attended the most recent meeting on June 3, 2024. Sherlock Holmes – the movie. (The Society recorded a one-man show about Judge Oliver Wendell Holmes preparing his 90th birthday speech). The association then held a business meeting where we voted on a new list of officers and a few other matters. The meeting is open to the press. (Politico’s Josh Gerstein is taking notes!) Following the meeting, a cocktail party was held on the first floor. The reception and dinner are closed to the media, but anyone who purchases a ticket can attend. This is not a secret cabal.
By convention, association meetings are usually attended by a judge. Judge Alito was also present during the cocktail hour. You can imagine how this sort of thing goes. There is a large group of people who want to see justice. So people were hanging around, waiting for their chance. They exchanged a few words with the judge. When the time comes, they move on. Judge Alito was very affable and spoke to many people that evening.
After the cocktail hour, we headed upstairs to the lobby for a banquet dinner. Chief Justice Roberts sat at one table, Justice Alito sat at the second table, and Justice Jackson sat at the third table. Likewise, people will often walk up to the judge, introduce themselves, say a few words, and then move on. This kind of exchange is common at banquets. Roberts, Jackson and Alito all interacted with guests present.
Had a delicious dinner (I had fish). Chief Justice Roberts delivered the traditional toast (“To the President of the United States”). Delicious deserts too. Yes, I took a photo.
That’s it! It was a fun evening and I had the pleasure of attending the association’s 50th anniversary dinner.
But not everyone goes there to play. Self-proclaimed “journalist” Lauren Windsor secretly recorded her conversations with Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito. You can listen to them here.
Exclusive undercover news:
Sam Alito x John Roberts x Undercurrent????1/ Justice Alito acknowledged the left’s lack of impartiality, saying, “One side or the other is going to win.” pic.twitter.com/b5nmxToZ9z
— Lauren Windsor (@lawdsor) June 10, 2024
Ms Windsor gave an exclusive report to Rolling Stone magazine, which described the rally as “right-wing activists seeing this as an opportunity to buck Supreme Court justices”. When I look around the room, I don’t see “right-wing activists.” In fact, out of a party of about 200 guests, I counted only a few members of the Federalist Society that I knew. Carter Phillips, not wearing a MAGA hat, has just been elected president of the association. These are people who are interested in the Supreme Court and its history, not ideologues.
I listened to the recording. Justice Alito did not say anything inappropriate. In fact, I suspect he was mostly trying to be polite and trying to talk to someone (pretending to be) genuinely interested in talking about our country. Chief Justice Roberts said what you’d expect him to say – that elected officials, not judges, should be responsible for setting policy. No news here except that the Supreme Court is taking private notes from the justices.
Ms Windsor did not record any conversation with Judge Jackson, who was also present. Maybe she could ask about the Beyoncé concert? Again, no one ever protested outside Justice Jackson’s home. She is safe.
While officers will inspect recording devices when court is in session, no such inspections will be conducted during cocktail hour. Who would think this is necessary? I am concerned that Justice Alito will no longer participate in association activities. Why would he risk having a private conversation exposed online? Judge Alito was increasingly relegated to whispering his thoughts in the corners of his home.
