I ONCE SAW Sandra Day O’Connor in my corner store, and years ago, before Justice O’Connor even sat on the U.S. Supreme Court, I used to push a stroller on the terrace surrounding the white marble temple where she works. But until Tuesday–even though the Court is only four blocks from my house–I’d never actually heard an oral argument there and seen the justices in session. The case wasn’t exactly exciting (at issue was the definition of “investment contract” in securities law), though it must have mattered to the administration since Solicitor General Ted Olson spoke in person. Instead, I was there because a friend who’d worked on the case had reserved a seat for me. Undistracted by legal preoccupations, I concentrated on soaking up the atmosphere.
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