Chief Justice Channels His Inner Chandler

MSNBC ^ | 14 October 2008

[Publius]

John Roberts writes dissent that debuts new genre: Supreme Court noir

The Supreme Court of the United States. Just after 10 o'clock. John Roberts was working his usual shift. Chief justice of the United States. Three years on the job. His reputation? Incisive questioner. Good writer. Fast. Funny.

Roberts knows his way around an opinion. Even a dissent. Like the one he issued Tuesday. The case? Pennsylvania's top court threw out a drug bust because the police officer who saw an apparent exchange between two suspects did not have enough evidence to make the arrest.

Roberts wanted his court to take the case and reverse the Pennsylvania ruling. His colleagues disagreed.

While the Supreme Court turns down most cases without comment, Roberts issued a written dissent. In the debut of Supreme Court noir, he recited the facts thusly:

"Narcotics Strike Force, North Philly, May 4, 2001. Officer Sean Devlin, Narcotics Strike Force, was working the morning shift. Undercover surveillance. The neighborhood? Tough as a three-dollar steak. Devlin knew. Five years on the beat, nine months with the Strike Force. He'd made fifteen, twenty drug busts in the neighborhood.

"Devlin spotted him: a lone man on the corner. Another approached. Quick exchange of words. Cash handed over; small objects handed back. Each man then quickly on his own way. Devlin knew the guy wasn't buying bus tokens. He radioed a description and Officer Stein picked up the buyer. Sure enough: three bags of crack in the guy's pocket. Head downtown and book him. Just another day at the office."

[Publius]

Funniest article I've seen today.

Next:

"It was a dark and stormy night..."

[Larry Lucido]

“My name is Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective Lieutenant, Police Squad. There’d been a recent wave of gorgeous fashion models found naked and unconscious in laundromats on the West Side. Unfortunately, I was assigned to investigate holdups of neighborhood credit unions. I was across town doing my laundry when I got the call on the double killing. It took me twenty minutes to get there. My boss was already on the scene.”

[Publius]

I can see where a cop would enjoy this.

[Mojave]

The dopers won’t like that.

[GoLightly]

ROTFL

[nickcarraway]

It would be nice to know our Constitutional rights won’t take the big sleep.

[Spktyr]

They may take the long goodbye instead... :P

[nickcarraway]

I guess it would be: farewell, my lovely rights.

[irv]

The justices occasionally inject humor (strictly highbrow!) into their opinions, but Roberts' effort Tuesday created a new genre.

And proud of him for doing it. But anybody who thinks that stuff ranks with the work of the incomparable Raymond Chandler needs help.

Here is some help: Great Chandler quotes

[Vozda]

That was great. I guess our Chief Justice has a career ready for him when he decided to retire (not anytime soon, God willing!).

[Spktyr]

Making you want to take a jump out of the high window?

[microgood]

The Supreme Court was smart not to take this case. Since all they can rule on is the Federal Constitution, if they send it back to the state, that court can say the state constitution has more protection for the citizen's rights than the Federal one so it becomes a waste of time.

That state action has helped keep the Feds in check.

[GOPyouth]

“She looks pretty bad, Frank.........Um, Frank?..Not that bad.”

[mkjessup]

Making you want to take a jump out of the high window?

Or at least out of a ground floor window.

[Enterprise]

There’d been a recent wave of gorgeous fashion models found naked and unconscious in laundromats on the West Side.

"There are eight million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them."

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

LOL Bump!

[PGalt]

Thanks for the ping. LOL! Funny. Thanks for the post; link.

[TexanToTheCore]

Just where is this Naked City and how do I get there?

[Enterprise]

San Francisco might be a good place to look.

[TexanToTheCore]

Oops. Sorry I asked.....