I've really enjoyed reading the many and varied perspectives on Justice Stevens' jurisprudence and his impact on the Court. But as his former clerk and, I like to feel, as his friend, my mind since the announcement has been on some of the lighter moments we shared in chambers. One that comes to mind was the day Justice Stevens showed up in chambers with an enormous black eye. The injury was the result of an overly aggressive game of tennis in which he dove into a chain link fence while chasing a ball (he was almost 80 at the time.) We asked him what we should tell the other justices' clerks, whom we knew would be dying for information. He thought for a moment: “Tell them, ‘they should see the other guy!'” Shortly thereafter he attended a judicial conference and was again asked about the black eye. This time he replied, “that’s why they keep the conferences confidential.” — Sonja West
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.