Speaking of Justice

Hiddly-ho, Neglecterinos! The first things that came to mind when re-reading my last post that rambled far into Old Man Simpson territory ("My story begins in nineteen dickety-two. We had to say 'dickety' because the Kaiser had stolen our word for twenty. I chased him down the road but gave up after dickety-six miles...") re: Justice Thomas were these:

1. Chris Noth's return to Law & Order
2. Justice Scalia's visit to Boston
3. Justice Breyer's new book
4. Recent supreme court news
5. Justice, Maggie Lizer's dog, on Arrested Development

The hardy or foolhardy will now suffer the consequences.

Chris Noth on L&O

The next best thing to Jerry Orbach rising from the dead to assume his rightful place as Lennie Briscoe (fingers still crossed, though). I've never been a Criminal Intent fan and don't get the appeal of D'onofrio's porcine performance. Now that they've brought back Noth, I actually watch it. Det. Logan is still very much the same man (although I swear I spotted a wedding ring when he was sitting in a car -- not a thing one would expect on Mike Logan), but as the New York Times puts it, "older, wiser, wearier." Partnering him with with the subdued Annabella Sciorra (ahem, I'm looking in your direction, Mr. D'onofrio) shows good casting instincts. It's not Scully and Mulder, and thank heaven it's not Olivia "Elliott, why won't you talk to me about your feelings..." Benson and Stabler. So far, so good.

Justice Antonin Scalia: Demonic Genius or Genius Demon?

Justice Scalia holds few opinions that I share, but his is the first voice that comes to mind when thinking about Supreme Court jurisprudence. His dissents in particular may be caustic, but they linger with you long after you've forgotten the majority opinion that you agree with.

Justice Scalia will be in Boston to speak at the New England School of Law Law Day Banquet on March 15, 2006. If you want to get to know more about him and cases are too boring for you, check out his book A Matter of Interpretation. It's under 200 pages, witty and very accessible.

Breyer's Book: Naturally Good

Justice Stephen Breyer's new book, Active Liberty: Interpreting Our Democratic Constitution, which many view as a response to A Matter of Interpretation, has just been released. You can listen to him talk about the book with Terry Gross of NPR's Fresh Air.

Supreme Court Scuttlebutt: Roberts, Miers, Takings, Anna Nicole

Given that I can't come up with an original thought about Law & Order, there is nothing I could say about the Sturm und Drang that would add anything. However, in the interest of maintaining my nerdliness, I will point out that according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word scuttlebutt first appeared around 1805, coming from "water cask kept on a ship's deck," from scuttle "opening in a ship's deck"+ butt "barrel." Earlier scuttle cask (1777). It's meaning as "rumor, gossip" was first recorded 1901, originally nautical slang. Folk etymology has it that the meaning evolved because of custom among sailors of gathering around the scuttlebutt to gossip.

Justice is Blind

As I enjoy opportunities to make gratuitous references to Arrested Development, the whole justice theme begs me to say "Mr. Bluth, Justice is blind." How can you go wrong with a show that has a woman feigning blindness being led around by a guide dog that is, in fact, blind? I command thee to watch this show, dammit! It’s like the Ten Commandments say, you know? “Be true to thine own self, and to thine own self...”