"So help me God" isn't part of the Presidential Oath of Office, although every President says it. As long as Roberts doesn't say it when administering the oath, there's no constitutional problem.
That's right: Washington said those words after taking the prescribed oath. It became tradition to follow him in this.
If the president wants to say the words, it's hard for me to understand how Newdow, or SCOTUS, could prevent him from doing so. Can they also keep him from going to church on Sunday? After all, he would be driving in a government-supplied automobile.
People tend to overreact to anything related to God. If an oath is being administered, it is important to use the name of whatever God they are bound by.
I never understood how he Got "Chief" Justice, since he does not have seniority, and "Chief" usually refers to the Justice all others followed. (in obtaining a seat on the Supreme Court.) It would likely be a conflict of interest in any impeachments of the President responsible for appointing him. Logic, it works in mysterious ways.
Trolling long? The position of Chief Justice of the United States is created by 28 U.S.C. 1. Vacancies in the office of Chief Justice are covered by 28 U.S.C. 3. And if the Chief Justice is unable to act, the next most senior Justice acts in his place.
I am not sure why a Chief Justice would have a conflict in presiding over an impeachment of the President who appointed him. Warren Burger reportedly had no such qualms.
Of course, in the two actual Presidential impeachments, Chief Justice Salmon Chase (appointed by Abraham Lincoln) presided over Andrew Johnson's imeachment trial and Chief William Rehnquist presided over Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.
Perhaps I misunderstood the circumstances, it was my understanding that when Roberts was appointed to the Supreme Court, he assumed the title of Chief Justice.
Hardly proper for a new Supreme Court Justice to become Chief Justice of the highest Court over the experienced Justices. A leader should earn his rank, not have it granted to him like Nobility.
That's right: Washington said those words after taking the prescribed oath. It became tradition to follow him in this.
This is, surprisingly, an American legend. Historians are not sure when the practice developed, although (again surprisingly) it might have been Lincoln.
Of course, every President since FDR has definitely said it.
Daniel Portnoy says he walked up the driveway and knocked on the front door. The homeowner opened the door.
Portnoy and the man chatted for a minute and parted ways. Mission accomplished. Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. accepted service of a U.S. District Court summons at home, Portnoy says.
What an embarrassment to the legal system. Hopefully this will end with Newdow being barred from filing suit in federal court without prior screening by a judge.
Yikes. I would've thought his security detail would've taken care of this. I'm a little nervous about him just opening up his door.
Seriously... I know CJ Roberts isn't into the trappings of the positions, etc., but isn't it just a little worrisome that somebody can go right up to his front door and he comes out?
I wonder if the story was condensed a little... maybe the guy did actually have to talk to/get past the security detail first. Though the story suggests he went straight up to the door, which is concerning.
Roberts didn't "assume" the title. He was nominated for it by the President and confirmed for it by the Senate.
I assumed Tritium was trolling Congress' decision to permit such a thing. They could change the process so that only sitting Justices can be elevated to CJ.
It is a bit alarming that it would be so easy for anyone to approach the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. What if, rather than being visited by a harmless atheist hack, the Chief had been approached by a deranged individual intent on harming him?
Perhaps I misunderstood the circumstances, it was my understanding that when Roberts was appointed to the Supreme Court, he assumed the title of Chief Justice.
Of 17 Chief Justices, apparently 13 first joined the Supreme Court as Chief Justice:
John Jay
Oliver Ellsworth
John Marshall
Roger B. Taney
Salmon P. Chase
Morrison Waite
Melville Fuller
William H. Taft
Charles E. Hughes
Frederick M. Vinson
Earl Warren
Warren E. Burger
John Roberts
Nominating a sitting SCOTUS justice to be chief justice would require a whole other round of confirmation hearings. Imagine Congress' delight to hear Scalia or Thomas?
Charles Evans Hughes was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court before he was appointed CJ. He left the Court in 1916 to run for President. He lost by a slim margin to Wilson. Hoover appointed him Chief Justice some years later.
And, of course, Roberts was first nominated as an Associate Justice to replace O'Connor, but was then renominated for CJ when Rehnquist died before Roberts was confirmed as an Associate Justice.
Also, Dave N, doesn't the Impeachment Clause of Art. I, Sec. 3, Cl. 6 of the Constitution create the office of Chief Justice?
Why did Mr. Roberts need to be served at 8pm at his residence instead of some other place, such as his office, because he was sued in his personal capacity? Could he not be served in his personal capacity during work hours at his office?
Given the narrow nature of the suit (only against the prompting by the CJOTUS), it's not completely insane to be insisting that the Chief Justice (even in a nominally private capacity) provide the prompt verbatim as specified in the Constitution.
It's still a silly lawsuit, however.
1.13.2009 6:18pm
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If the president wants to say the words, it's hard for me to understand how Newdow, or SCOTUS, could prevent him from doing so. Can they also keep him from going to church on Sunday? After all, he would be driving in a government-supplied automobile.
Did I just feed a troll? Sorry!
OK, Newdow. Back under your bridge.
I never understood how he Got "Chief" Justice, since he does not have seniority, and "Chief" usually refers to the Justice all others followed. (in obtaining a seat on the Supreme Court.) It would likely be a conflict of interest in any impeachments of the President responsible for appointing him. Logic, it works in mysterious ways.
Your second paragraph is literally incomprehensible.
Trolling long? The position of Chief Justice of the United States is created by 28 U.S.C. 1. Vacancies in the office of Chief Justice are covered by 28 U.S.C. 3. And if the Chief Justice is unable to act, the next most senior Justice acts in his place.
I am not sure why a Chief Justice would have a conflict in presiding over an impeachment of the President who appointed him. Warren Burger reportedly had no such qualms.
Of course, in the two actual Presidential impeachments, Chief Justice Salmon Chase (appointed by Abraham Lincoln) presided over Andrew Johnson's imeachment trial and Chief William Rehnquist presided over Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.
Hardly proper for a new Supreme Court Justice to become Chief Justice of the highest Court over the experienced Justices. A leader should earn his rank, not have it granted to him like Nobility.
Roberts didn't "assume" the title. He was nominated for it by the President and confirmed for it by the Senate.
This is, surprisingly, an American legend. Historians are not sure when the practice developed, although (again surprisingly) it might have been Lincoln.
Of course, every President since FDR has definitely said it.
Sounds like there was no complaint from Portnoy.
Seriously... I know CJ Roberts isn't into the trappings of the positions, etc., but isn't it just a little worrisome that somebody can go right up to his front door and he comes out?
I wonder if the story was condensed a little... maybe the guy did actually have to talk to/get past the security detail first. Though the story suggests he went straight up to the door, which is concerning.
I assumed Tritium was trolling Congress' decision to permit such a thing. They could change the process so that only sitting Justices can be elevated to CJ.
Of 17 Chief Justices, apparently 13 first joined the Supreme Court as Chief Justice:
John Jay
Oliver Ellsworth
John Marshall
Roger B. Taney
Salmon P. Chase
Morrison Waite
Melville Fuller
William H. Taft
Charles E. Hughes
Frederick M. Vinson
Earl Warren
Warren E. Burger
John Roberts
Charles Evans Hughes was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court before he was appointed CJ. He left the Court in 1916 to run for President. He lost by a slim margin to Wilson. Hoover appointed him Chief Justice some years later.
And, of course, Roberts was first nominated as an Associate Justice to replace O'Connor, but was then renominated for CJ when Rehnquist died before Roberts was confirmed as an Associate Justice.
Also, Dave N, doesn't the Impeachment Clause of Art. I, Sec. 3, Cl. 6 of the Constitution create the office of Chief Justice?
It's still a silly lawsuit, however.
If you have a comment about spelling, typos, or format errors, please e-mail the poster directly rather than posting a comment.
Comment Policy: We reserve the right to edit or delete comments, and in extreme cases to ban commenters, at our discretion. Comments must be relevant and civil (and, especially, free of name-calling). We think of comment threads like dinner parties at our homes. If you make the party unpleasant for us or for others, we'd rather you went elsewhere. We're happy to see a wide range of viewpoints, but we want all of them to be expressed as politely as possible.
We realize that such a comment policy can never be evenly enforced, because we can't possibly monitor every comment equally well. Hundreds of comments are posted every day here, and we don't read them all. Those we read, we read with different degrees of attention, and in different moods. We try to be fair, but we make no promises.
And remember, it's a big Internet. If you think we were mistaken in removing your post (or, in extreme cases, in removing you) -- or if you prefer a more free-for-all approach -- there are surely plenty of ways you can still get your views out.