Lunch with John Paul Stevens

I'm leaving for a cross-country road-trip with my Mom tomorrow.  She's helping us drive our car to DC, and Nathaniel is going to fly out next Tuesday with Summer.  So we're super busy with packing and getting things ready, and what better time to blog?

During placement break my 1L year, I took a trip with my grandma to meet John Paul Stevens.  Well, to have lunch with him.  The first time I met him I was in high school.  He took me in his office and I informed him I wanted to go into politics and that I was really impressed with the big books in his office.  I'm sure I made a great impression.

The next time was better.  I got to hear oral arguments in two cases: one was Microsoft v. AT&T and the other was a Fifth Amendment case.  Justices Alito and John Roberts looked straight at me, probably wondering what I was doing in Ms. Stevens' seat.  

We sat next to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Brazil.  My mom informed her that men in Brazil treat women poorly.  The Chief Justice heartily agreed.  

After oral arguments in the Microsoft v. AT&T case, my grandma, my mom, and I went to Justice Stevens' chambers for lunch (my mom calls him John Paul, but since I'm sure he wouldn't recognize me if I said hi to him on the street, I call him Justice Stevens).   We ate BLT sandwiches and potato chips with soda.  Justice Stevens ate saltine crackers and cottage cheese with water.  

He asked my grandma about their family members on the west coast, where she lives.  He asked my mom about her job, and he asked me about school.  

"In class, do you see anyone play spider solitaire?"  

"Yes," I answered.

"Do you ever play?"

"Yes," I said, embarrassed.  I decided against explaining to him that spider solitaire helped me focus on the lecture, especially when I sat far away from the professor.

"How many different suits do you play with?"

"Two," I said.

"Next time, try four.  That's what I do and I'm have a ten percent win rate."

I'm so sad that Justice Stevens is retiring.  I have loved reading his recent interviews and news articles published for his retirement.  I don't agree with all his opinions, but his legal mind is unparalleled and I don't think we'll ever see another Supreme Court justice that's as good as he.  And that's my completely unbiased opinion.