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Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Justice Souter's Upcoming Autobiography
I don't know whether he drew his inspiration from Justice Thomas, but apparently Justice Souter also has an autobiography coming out; allegedly, in the wake of the Thomas book coverage's focus on the salacious, Justice Souter hopes the focus remains on his book's details about his personal and family history, not on what his book has to say about old political battles he's long since gotten over. We don't have excerpts yet, just the title and cover.
{ Attention Souter family attorneys: This is parody, not a real implication that the Justice remains bitter about receiving only a 90-9 confirmation vote, so please do not send me any "cease & desist" letters. Send them to Markel instead. }
Posted by Scott Moss on October 3, 2007 at 02:15 PM | Permalink
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Comments
I do like the idea of a Souter memoir, but I think we might come up with more Souterian (Souteresque? Soutable?) titles. For instance, David Souter: To the Core.
Posted by: Paul Horwitz | Oct 3, 2007 2:24:20 PM
Or, "Nickel Movies at the Bijou: A Memoir."
Posted by: Rick Garnett | Oct 3, 2007 6:04:11 PM
Will he discuss whether he cried over Bush v. Gore?
Posted by: anonymous | Oct 5, 2007 9:56:44 PM
Scott:
I get the distinct impression that you're bitter and angry about Justice Thomas's autobiography. Please, this vindictiveness is unbecoming of a PrawfsBlawg blogger.
The events described by Thomas are more than 16 years old, so can't we just let the matter rest? As James Thurber once said, "Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness."
:-)
Posted by: Andrew | Oct 6, 2007 12:39:42 AM
Andrew, you need to read more carefully before attempting to be funny. I've clearly said I'm not claiming to be better than Justice Thomas. Here's what I said in my post about Justice Thomas being bitter: " I’m not on a high horse about avoiding bitterness; I’m far from perfect, not necessarily an ounce better than Justice Thomas at getting over perceived slights. But I know myself well enough to know that avoiding bitterness is one of my weaknesses, and I sure as hell wouldn’t write a sanctimonious and bitter book congratulating myself for having gotten over a sixteen year-old grudge I so clearly still carry."
Also: Expressing displeasure with a high public official isn't really "bitterness," at least not the type we've been discussing -- remaining angry at a long-ago slight (much less anger against someone who LOST a fight with you).
Posted by: Scott Moss | Oct 6, 2007 10:27:24 AM
Scott, you have repeatedly emphasized that Thomas WON and Hill LOST. I strongly disagree with that analysis.
Barring an eventual confession by Thomas or by Hill, both of their reputations have been severely and permanently damaged in the eyes of millions of people.
That sixteen-year-old controversy also accelerated a politics of personal destruction that continues to devour reputations on a daily basis, especially in the judicial confirmation process. Too many people believe that it's all about winning and losing, regardless of truth and justice.
Thomas's discussion of the confirmation process takes up 80 pages of a 289-page book, so let's not exaggerate that the whole book is a screed against Anita Hill. Those other 209 pages are very honest, so perhaps reviewers might credit Thomas with being honest about his feelings in the 80 pages about the SCOTUS confirmation. Why be frank in the 209 pages, but then sugarcoat the 80 pages?
You pretend that the 209 pages is full of "warm & fuzzy anecdotes", but you know that's not true. Thomas is honest about his inability to forgive his grandfather, and for which he carries guilt, and and is honest about dozens of other matters (e.g. guilt about lashing out at Ashcroft).
There's no doubt that, regardless of whether Thomas's book is an "angry" book, it is certainly a book about anger, and how he has tried to deal with it. That's a big difference. And maybe the final 80 pages do slip into some anger. But they also include a credible defense of the Anita Hill allegations, so it wouldn't even be accurate to say that most of that last 80 pages is angry or bitter. Perhaps some people are confusing bluntness, honesty, and plain speaking with bitterness --- it wouldn't be the first time that those qualities have been confused.
Thomas has waited a good long time to give his side of the confirmation story. He certainly has some interesting and non-bitter things to say about it.
Posted by: Andrew | Oct 6, 2007 11:17:50 AM
Scott, you have repeatedly emphasized that Thomas WON and Hill LOST. I strongly disagree with that analysis.
Barring an eventual confession by Thomas or by Hill, both of their reputations have been severely and permanently damaged in the eyes of millions of people.
That sixteen-year-old controversy also accelerated a politics of personal destruction that continues to devour reputations on a daily basis, especially in the judicial confirmation process. Too many people believe that it's all about winning and losing, regardless of truth and justice.
Thomas's discussion of the confirmation process takes up 80 pages of a 289-page book, so let's not exaggerate that the whole book is a screed against Anita Hill. Those other 209 pages are very honest, so perhaps reviewers might credit Thomas with being honest about his feelings in the 80 pages about the SCOTUS confirmation. Why be frank in the 209 pages, but then sugarcoat the 80 pages?
You pretend that the 209 pages is full of "warm & fuzzy anecdotes", but you know that's not true. Thomas is honest about his inability to forgive his grandfather, for which he carries guilt, and is honest about dozens of other matters (e.g. guilt about lashing out at Ashcroft).
There's no doubt that, regardless of whether Thomas's book is an "angry" book, it is certainly a book about anger, and how he has tried to deal with it. That's an important distinction. And maybe the final 80 pages do slip into some anger. But they also include a credible defense of the Anita Hill allegations, so it wouldn't even be accurate to say that most of that last 80 pages is angry or bitter. Perhaps some people are confusing bluntness, honesty, and plain speaking with bitterness --- it wouldn't be the first time that those qualities have been confused.
Thomas has waited a good long time to give his side of the confirmation story. He certainly has some interesting and non-bitter things to say about it.
Posted by: Andrew | Oct 6, 2007 11:20:59 AM
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