Roberts Listed in Federalist Society '97-98 Directory (he didn't remember)

[Rose Siding]

Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. has repeatedly said that he has no memory of belonging to the Federalist Society, but his name appears in the influential, conservative legal organization's 1997-1998 leadership directory.

Having served only two years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit following a long career as a government and private-sector lawyer, Roberts has not amassed much of a public paper record that would show his judicial philosophy. Working with the Federalist Society provides some clue of his sympathies -- the organization keeps its membership rolls secret but many key policymakers in the Bush administration are acknowledged current or former members.
....
Over the weekend, The Post obtained a copy of The Federalist Society Lawyers' Division Leadership Directory, 1997-1998. It lists Roberts, then a partner at the law firm Hogan & Hartson, as a member of the steering committee of the organization's Washington chapter and includes his firm's address and telephone number.

Yesterday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Roberts "has no recollection of being a member of the Federalist Society, or its steering committee." Roberts has acknowledged taking part in some Federalist Society activities, Perino said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/24/AR2005072401201.html

[eleny]

1. Now we know how he's kept such a low profile

He's kept secrets and lies about them when asked.

[Gloria]

2. Another Bush liar....they just don't know how to get by without

lying....Didn't he put it on his resume for Bush to see? "sarcasm"

I expect that the Democrats will let it go by...complicit, as usual.

[mac56]

3. What else does he have "no recollection" of doing?

Imagine a Clinton appointee in a situation like this.

[fooj]

4. Bullshit he didn't remember. Great. Just what we need.

Another fucking liar in our midst.

Peace.

[Wickerman]

5. No recollection of being on the Steering Committee?

Uh, right.

:eyes:

[eleny]

6. Yes - he was there but didn't inhale

[Straight Shooter]

15. LOL.

Good one, eleny :7

[Nothing Without Hope]

33. Yes, that's not believable. Did he make that statement about not

remembering being a member under oath?

[gkhouston]

62. and of course, he's got no prior history or involvement

with the organization and they just put him on the Steering Committee for grins and giggles? I... don't... think... so.

Trying to conceal this was a big mistake.

[earthboundmisfit]

7. Such a young man to have such a poor memory!

Hmmm do we really want a SC justice who can't remember 7 or 8 years back? And we're to believe a brilliant mind such as his "has no recollection" of membership in this rather high-end conservative legal organization??? This dude just don't smell right.

[mtnester]

56. Exactly...I remember being a member of the cheer-leading squad in high

school, and the Spanish Club...and that was more than 20 years ago.

I remember when I got a speeding ticket in 1980, I remember when my grandma died in 1968, I remember attending swim team parents meetings between 1987 and 1999 (considering I was parent president during 3 of those years), I remember officiating at swim meets and attending lead officials board meetings.

You DON'T just forget being on a Board of anything, unless you WANT to! Lying by omission is STILL LYING.

[imenja]

8. I don't think it's a secret that he is a member

He is said to be very active in the association. The Post article gives examples of the WH denying Roberts' membership, but not Roberts himself.

[mac56]

10. Membership isn't the issue.

He had been on the steering committee but denied it. "No recollection".

[imenja]

12. the article gives quotes by the WH

not by Roberts himself. I heard his membership discussed openly on either the NewsHour or Charlie Rose. It wasn't presented as a dirty secret.

[mac56]

13. See above.

Membership isn't the issue here.

[imenja]

14. they need to provide examples where he actually denied it

because that article does not. It would be a simple thing to check the transcripts of his confirmation hearing for the district court, but that would require journalists actually doing their job.

[mac56]

17. No matter how it's sliced

it's still baloney.

He may not have denied it. That's true. But participation in the steering committee (NOT mere membership) is a pretty big thing to omit from his profile.

I see no need to let him off the hook just because no one may have asked him about it.

[imenja]

19. I've seen it repeatedly printed

So I'm not sure he did deny or omit it. If it's something he kept secret, why have the papers and news channels discussed it repeatedly? If it is supposed to be a secret, it's a badly kept one that everyone knows about. This article provides examples of typical White House parsing and bullshit and nothing about what Roberts himself has said. And I don't know what profile you're referring to that he left it out of.

[rocktivity]

65. So why DOESN'T Robert comfirm or deny it himself?

That's all it would take to put an end to this--unless they're trying to run out the media clock on another of their weapons of mass distraction.

:headbang:
rocknation

[jojo54]

9. O.K. can someone tell me what the steering committee is plz?

[Igel]

28. Now *there's* an interesting question.

A steering committee is usually a committee that sets the agenda for an organization, makes plans, and, well, steers. It's usually an important one that meets fairly frequently, or when needed. You tend not to forget being on that kind of steering committee.

But the WaPo description doesn't match that, and leaves me wondering.

'Roberts is one of 19 steering committee members listed in the directory, ...

'Among the others on the list are such prominent conservatives as ... Ethics and Public Policy Center President M. Edward Whelan III; and the late Barbara Olson, who was a Capitol Hill staff member at the time . Her husband, former U.S. solicitor general Theodore B. Olson, is listed as president of the chapter.

'Federalist Society Executive Vice President Leonard A. Leo said that either he or another official of the organization recruited Roberts for the committee. Roberts's task was to serve "as a point of contact within the firm to let people know what is going on" with the organization. "It doesn't meet, it doesn't do a whole lot. The only thing we expect of them is to make sure people in the firm know about us," Leo said. ...

'Whelan, who has been a member of the Federalist Society but said he had no recollection of his own membership on the steering committee , said ...'

[LiberalFighter]

11. They should check the Martindale Hubbel Directories for early years

[PurityOfEssence]

16. "I can't remember." At least when Reagan said it it had a whiff of truth

What other major facts does this very smart individual seem to be a bit fuzzy on?

He counseled Jeb Bush on how to "constitutionally" overturn the vote in Florida if they couldn't cook the count enough. That's my big beef with this schmuck: being a Supreme Court Judge is more about the spirit of the law than the letter of the law, and using tricks to ignore the will of the people is filthy to the soul.

The fact that he sides with corporations over the little guy is disturbing, and his dodging of the right to choose is pretty damned transparent, but actively helping Jeb Bush twist the law to cheat the people of their right shows a dishonest and sneaky personality.

This "I don't remember" crap needs to stop. When faced with this, people should ask him what other groups he's forgotten he belonged to. Let's ask some other fun questions, like: "do you believe in evolution>" or "are Christians more moral than non-believers?"

He should be very pointedly grilled in his confirmation hearings, especially about Florida. "Do you feel it's moral to try to use statutory tricks to deny people their right to vote?"

[mac56]

18. "Using tricks to ignore the will of the people is filthy to the soul"

Word.

[hang a left]

35. A tactic I used to use professionally when a client would answer

a question with "I don't remember". My immediate response would be "well, if you did remember, what do you think the answer would be". Works like a charm about 80% of the time. Give it a try next time someone tells you that they don't remember.

[Robb]

53. LOL! Forward that gem!

I'm thinking there's some congresscritters who would appreciate that, to say nothing of whatever's left of the WH press corps! :D

[SpiralHawk]

20. Well, it all depends on your definition of "remember"

Shit that proves you have fascist tendencies is definitely in the forget category.

[UpInArms]

21. Roberts doesn't remember being a Federalist Society member????

:wtf:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=513&e=9&u=/ap/20050718/ap_on_go_ot/federalist_society

By NANCY BENAC, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jul 18, 2:41 AM ET

WASHINGTON - At a recent Friday luncheon, former Solicitor General Theodore Olson cast his eyes over a hotel ballroom crammed with lawyers and wryly welcomed "all of you Federalists who seem to have mastered the secret handshake."

"For those of you who just stumbled in off the street, it is my duty to advise you that you have stumbled into a right-wing cabal — you will never be the same again," the government's one-time chief courtroom lawyer deadpanned as chortles erupted from members of the Federalist Society.

<snip>

Others on President Bush's reputed short list include Federalist Society members John Roberts and Michael McConnell, both appellate court justices. Still others on the list have addressed the group, including appellate Judges J. Harvie Wilkinson, Emilio Garza, Edith Hollan Jones and Samuel Alito, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

While the society has no formal role in consulting with the White House, "the reality is, given the presence of Federalist Society members within the White House counsel's office and the Bush administration, they are playing a crucial role in selecting judges and likely justices," said Erwin Chemerinsky, a liberal Duke University law professor who has addressed the group.

Georgetown University law professor Mark Tushnet wrote in his book, "A Court Divided," that Federalist Society conferences serve as "something like the out-of-town preview of a Broadway show, where ambitious conservative lawyers strut their stuff."

"Appearing at Federalist Society events is one, perhaps the most important, of the ways in which a person who wants to get known as 'reliable' and promotable makes sure that his/her name gets put on 'the list'," Tushnet said in an interview.

...more...

The sack of lying shit is STILL A MEMBER!!!

[bassman79]

24. Why's he trying to hide this?

What does the Federalist Society entail other than being a made member of the Bush Crime Family?

[UpInArms]

25. here's their website

http://www.fed-soc.org/

here's their BoD:

Prof. Steven G. Calabresi
National Co-Chairman


Hon. David M. McIntosh
National Co-Chairman



Prof. Gary Lawson
Director


Mr. Eugene B. Meyer
Director



Hon. T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.
Counselor


Mr. Brent O. Hatch
Treasurer (yes, that's Orrin Hatch)

here's their mission statement:

http://www.fed-soc.org/ourpurpose.htm

Law schools and the legal profession are currently strongly dominated by a form of orthodox liberal ideology which advocates a centralized and uniform society. While some members of the academic community have dissented from these views, by and large they are taught simultaneously with (and indeed as if they were) the law.
The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a group of conservatives and libertarians interested in the current state of the legal order. It is founded on the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be.
The Society seeks both to promote an awareness of these principles and to further their application through its activities. This entails reordering priorities within the legal system to place a premium on individual liberty, traditional values, and the rule of law. It also requires restoring the recognition of the importance of these norms among lawyers, judges, and law professors.
In working to achieve these goals, the Society has created a conservative and libertarian intellectual network that extends to all levels of the legal community.

Lots more to be found on their website.

[bassman79]

29. Based on that description sign me up!

"It is founded on the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be.
This entails reordering priorities within the legal system to place a premium on individual liberty"

sounds good to me. Of course aren't these the same bastards pushing the Patriot Act? Maybe they should practice what they preach

[cosmicdot]

31. helps the marketing department

to sell the product

imo, it's all part of the marketing ... they're methodical in their madness ... this is a crowning moment ... they've 'think-tanked' the particulars leading up to this moment to the nth degree ... the product has been developed and packaged; and, now, is ready for roll-out ... the sell is on ... it's what they've been waiting and preparing for ... it's the Federalist Society's mission ... and, the corporate media is more than willing to help ...

The Republicans have been nominating to the Federal judiciary for 17 of the last 25 years; and, in the other 8 years have used their influence on the choices -- including blocking nominations during that period. So, even when not in the White House, they have shaped its make-up for 25 years. Yet, they continue the revolution "to reclaim the Federal courts from liberals", as if they haven't already.


from: "The Federalist Society -
The Conservative Cabal That's Transforming American Law"

By Jerry Landay

~snip~

"The Society¹s mission is to advance a conservative agenda by moving the country¹s legal establishment to the right..."

~snip~

"As the Society grew in influence, it grew in wealth. A year after founding the first student chapters in 1982 at Yale and University of Chicago law schools, student leaders received $25,000 for their first national symposium, the seed money coming from the Institute for Educational Affairs, overseen by the influential neoconservatives William Simon and Irving Kristol. By 1998, the annual contribution total had soared a hundredfold to $2,600,000--a third from core conservative underwriters like the John M. Olin Foundation, the Sarah Scaife Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, and the Lilly Endowment, whose sustained patronage has nurtured the tightly linked constellation of think tanks and advocacy groups that form the spine of the conservative movement."

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2000/0003.landay.html


with this background, it's best to pretend not to be a member or involved with The Federalist Society or its agenda (as in helping to 'steer' it)

... see, he's not as bad as they say, is he? :sarcasm:

[bassman79]

22. Lay off the pot Roberts

Dude has a worse memory than me

[SoCalDem]

23. It only costs $50 to join.. How exclusive could it be?

It's possible that someone else submitted his name and paid for him...

[TahitiNut]

32. Yep. Like his law firm, prior to Apellate appointment.

I've know he's Federalist Society member since the hour before he was nominated. :shrug:

[burrowowl]

26. Early onset Alzheimer's?

"Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. has repeatedly said that he has no memory of belonging to the Federalist Society, but his name appears in the influential, conservative legal organization's 1997-1998 leadership directory."

[ruggerson]

27. He doesn't remember being on a steering committee?

Ok, so this guy is now a liar. Will fit right in with the rest of the Bush thugs.

[rocktivity]

66. He may not be a liar--he may just have long-term memory defects

Like a mild stroke or early-onset Alzheimers. And at the tender age of fifty, boo hoo!

:cry:
rocknation

[GoddessOfGuinness]

30. Oh that...

That was a long time ago. :eyes:

[AuntiBush]

34. Gee. So little time (2 Years Sitting Judge), So Much to Remember.

Yeah. Right. Sure. Welcome to the New American Century, folks.

[TaleWgnDg]

36. Uuummmmm, any lawyer worth his/her salt goes to . . .

.
Uuummmmm, any lawyer worth his/her salt goes to . . . Federalist Society meetings and may join. It's called N E T W O R K I N G. And, when you are trying to get clients or referrals, then you network, period. One need not go along with the Federalist Society legal philosophy to go to a meeting, or for that matter, to join.

Again, are we to trammel on the basis of association? Are DUers jumping on the wagon of McCarthyism? Seriously.

____________________________________________

edited to add: BTW, I don't recall all the Boards, Cmtes, and other organizations that I've attended or of which I've been a member . . . this is true of most professional persons particularly lawyers.


.

[CAcyclist]

60. Really?

Then why are they trying to hide it?

I would never, ever hire a lawyer who was a member of the federalist society. I'll be making a point of asking next time I need one.

[lastliberalintexas]

61. Um, no

I've never chosen to "network" with fascists, and I know many, many other lawyers who've refused that supposed siren's call as well. For most practicing attorneys, the Federalist Society is a political tool of the repubs to try and counter the ABA and its supposed liberal leanings and a think tank of sorts to cultivate conservative jurists.


I'd probably give him a pass if he was just a member and didn't recall joining, though even that would be unlikely to me. After all, one remembers joining such an organization as the Federalist Society. But a member of the Steering Committee? Not very likely that one could forget serving in such a capacity, especially so recently. And if he did truly forget, that brings up equally troubling issues for a man so young who is to be given such an appointment.

[Zorra]

37. That's really not normal. Maybe he has Alzheimer's Disease.

In any case, anyone with a memory that poor is definitely not fit to be a Supreme Court Justice.

Ditto for if he's just flat out lying, which is probable, being as how he is a RW extremist republican.

[Demeter]

38. Roberts Listed in Federalist Society '97-98 Directory--WaPo

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/24/AR2005072401201.html

"Court Nominee Said He Has No Memory of Membership

By Charles Lane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 25, 2005; Page A01

Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. has repeatedly said that he has no memory of belonging to the Federalist Society, but his name appears in the influential, conservative legal organization's 1997-1998 leadership directory.

Having served only two years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit after a long career as a government and private-sector lawyer, Roberts has not amassed much of a public paper record that would show his judicial philosophy. Working with the Federalist Society would provide some clue of his sympathies. The organization keeps its membership rolls secret, but many key policymakers in the Bush administration are acknowledged current or former members.

Roberts has burnished his legal image carefully. When news organizations have reported his membership in the society, he or others speaking on his behalf have sought corrections. Last week, the White House told news organizations that had reported his membership in the group that he had no memory of belonging. The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and the Associated Press printed corrections.

Over the weekend, The Post obtained a copy of the Federalist Society Lawyers' Division Leadership Directory, 1997-1998. It lists Roberts, then a partner at the law firm Hogan & Hartson, as a member of the steering committee of the organization's Washington chapter and includes his firm's address and telephone number."


Well, if that don't beat all! Not only lying to the American people and the government, but about membership in a society so evil that it doesn't admit to the public who its members are! If not evil, then why the secrecy? Criminal, then?

This guy is toast, just like Bolton. Marshmallow, anyone?

[acmavm]

39. Anyone who thought bush** would nominate a person with a record

of upholding the Constitution of the United States was a screaming moronic idiot.

[gademocrat7]

40. Deception has been elevated to an art form

Roberts is a prime example of the lying that rethugs do to justify their actions.

[Mr.Green93]

41. ROBERTS LIED!!!!! .......WOO HOO!!!!!

That was easy. Can you say DEAD MEAT?

[HR_Pufnstuf]

64. i know. lol.

to the glue factory.

[fasttense]

42. Just another lying liar who lied for the repukes. n/t

[tjdee]

43. He DOESN'T REMEMBER he was on the STEERING committee?

As Aaron McGruder says, this group is a bunch of gangsters going "Now what?"

Now what? Yeah he belonged to the Federalist Society.

What's anyone going to do about it?

As a DUer said, these people could probably eat a baby on television and STILL nost be thrown out on their butts.

[mandomom]

44. Playing both fields.

I suppose he needed to establish his bona fides with the originalists (where I believe his true heartlies) and the anti-choice white men, but probalby got some good Karl Rovish advice about lowering that profile was likely a political strategy. Kind of like buying a "ranch" with lost of brush to clear.

[mandomom]

45. Did he lie on the application?

[tanyev]

46. "he has no memory of belonging to the Federalist Society"

I have no memory of ever being in Greece, but that's because I have never been there. If somebody asked me, "Have you ever been to Greece?", I would simply say, "No". That's how easy it is when you TELL THE TRUTH!!!

[Tyler Durden]

47. Dis be mah BIG BAD "SHOCKED" look.

More lying rePukes, blahblahblah, woof woof.

You know what? Sometimes a machine becomes so fucked up that the only thing you can do is let it fail and replace it when it dies.

[mandomom]

48. Did he lie about this in his last confirmation hearing?

[mandomom]

49. Did he lie about this in any public records?

I hope not.I'm very disappointed if he turns out to be another politician in judge's clothing.

[union_maid]

50. This is some crazy stuff

I thought the statement that he had "no memory" of being in it was very oddly phrased. This is a nutty lie. Why would you do that when you'd be so easily caught out? And if this is so, then who will they nominate instead? (((shudder)))

[leftchick]

52. He is Catholic...

we are crappy liars. :)

[chelsea0011]

51. Alan Keyes...Federalist Society....'nuff said

[Vickers]

54. And when it comes to SC rulings, he won't remember the Constitution

What a fucking piece of work this guy is...and they say he's so smart.

Another cokehead, maybe? :shrug:

[Rose Siding]

55. This a.m., he wouldn't answer questions about it.

Roberts Declines to Explain Group Listing

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee John Roberts declined Monday to explain why he was listed in a Federalist Society leadership directory when the White House says he doesn't recall being a member of the conservative legal organization.
...
He smiled but didn't reply.

"I don't think he wants to take any questions," Feinstein interjected during the session with photographers and reporters that was part of the meeting in her office with the Supreme Court nominee.

"No, no, no thanks," Roberts added.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050725/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_bush;_ylt=Auv28KyQx6uqvQ1v7Ot6d8as0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-

[Angry Girl]

57. About the Federalist Society (and more)

The Institute for Democracy Studies, which says it examines "anti-democratic religious and political movements and organizations," calls the society part of "the infrastructure underlying the right-wing assault on the democratic foundations of our legal system."
<...>
"As we try to monitor the legal DNA of President Bush's nominees, we find repeatedly the Federalist Society chromosome," Durbin said at a 2003 hearing. "Why is it that membership in the Federalist Society has become the secret handshake of the Bush nominees for the federal court?"

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/12158910.htm


More about the GOP and their Ties to the Religious Right
http://www.mediatransparency.org/story.php?storyID=59

Many articles on the rise of dominionisn in U.S. Politics
http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/DirectoryRiseOfDominionismInAmerica.html

[Zorra]

58. If this is grounds for non-confirmation, then suspect a set-up.

If Roberts has too much obvious dirt, then Bu*h knew he would not have a chance at confirmation.

Some strategy oriented Democratic minds may want to explore the motives behind, and the ramifications of, this type of set-up.

[lastliberalintexas]

63. Those mean old Dems blocked the nice moderate Bush wanted

so we're going to give Bush the right wing nut he'll nominate instead. Yeah, I could definitely see that being their plan all along, as it kills 2 birds with one stone. We get made to be unfari obstructionists and they get some Atilla the Hun for the Court.

Roberts is pretty far right himself, though- especially very pro-corporate. I think he is the guy they really want this time, but then what do I know? :)

[CAcyclist]

59. How Old Is Roberts? 50?

"Hmmm, it could start that young. "

We don't want to be putting someone on the Supreme Court in the beginning stages of Alzheimers' , do we?