The high point of yesterday's class action symposium at UCLA: Judge Marsha Berzon of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals appearing on a panel, and looking exactly like a bored 6th grader as she doodled in her notebook while Elizabeth Cabraser was droning on.

I would've thought that a federal appeals judge would've developed more crafty ways of disguising boredom by this point. Or maybe the joy of life tenure is: you don't have to.

The low point of today's visit by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Ruth came across as this totally sweet lady who happens to sit on the nation's highest court. And she voluntarily scheduled a Q&A with students, so maybe that's assumption of the risk right there. But I could not believe the number of jackass questions my fellow students asked her.

Things could've been worse, I know. But when someone steps up and their 'question' is typed out on multiple pages ... you know you're in trouble. There was the pair of dudes who had a lengthy, ridiculous question about some fussy issue lurking inside a First Amendment case. Guys! It's a published case! Read it!

Then this guy (must be a 1L) in his one suit & tie asks a Bill O'Reilly type question about the effectiveness of the senate confirmation hearings. Ruth pointed out his history was incorrect, and then dismissed his question. Of course, he immediately gets back into line to ask a 'follow-up' question. SIT DOWN!!

Then comes the woman ... the crackpot we were all waiting for ... who had no question, but rather a speech about Native American something something and drug abuse and the ATF or something, I couldn't follow it. She was just reading from a script.

If you thought of Ruth Ginsburg as a lightweight justice, think again. She cut in on the crackpot and said hey, you don't have a question, and nobody wants to hear your speech. All of us in the main hall had to repress our urge to applaud wildly.

27 Jan 06