Legal scholars can continue to debate whether the Supreme Court is ideologically liberal or conservative. But according to Justices Clarence Thomas and Stephen Breyer, who testified on Capitol Hill yesterday, the court remains institutionally quite conservative.
Thomas illustrated the point by telling a story he heard when he arrived on the bench in 1991. Former Chief Justice Warren Burger thought adding florescent light bulbs in the Court would be a good idea. Thomas said another justice, “who had been there some time,” took one look at the new bulbs and commented, in all seriousness, “All these changes.”
Recounting another episode from his early days on the court, Thomas told of when then-Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo., paid him a visit in his chambers. Thomas said Danforth looked at all the briefs on his shelves and said, “Clarence, this is really boring.”
The topic of the House appropriations subcommittee hearing was the court’s budget for next year. Breyer argued the court needed more cash to upgrade its Web site — which sent the members of the panel into some can-you-top-this tech talk.
“That’s why I updated my Facebook status 30 minutes before I got here,” said Chairman Jose Serrano, D-N.Y. “Now I’m crazy. I’m Facebooking, I’m Twittering.”
Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, arguing that the court should webcast its oral arguments, pulled out a mini-camera, turned it on and announced that he was webcasting this hearing live on his own site.
“In that case,” Serrano joked, gesturing to himself, “let your constituents see what a liberal looks like.”
