Chief Justice Roberts Greets New ‘Legal Amigos’
(2005-09-30) — Chief Justice John Roberts, who won appointment to the Supreme Court and took the oath of office yesterday, reached out to his new colleagues today in a letter to the eight associate justices which began “Dear Legal Amigos.”
Judge Roberts, who endured criticism from Democrats during his Senate confirmation hearings for having once referred to illegal aliens as “illegal amigos,” told the members of the court that he used the term of friendship “in full expectation that we’ll enjoy a collegial atmosphere even as we dispassionately and objectively consider contentious issues like the constitutional right to life versus the so-called right to privacy.”
Roberts, who succeeds his mentor, the late William Rehnquist, said he anticipates few procedural changes during his administration of the court, “although we may try to brighten up those black judicial ponchos a bit.”
