Now THATS Love of the Law
Below is an interesting read about the "Love of the Law" as manifested by one particular third year law student. I can't quite say that I possessed the same moxy while in the last semester of law school in Columbia.
WASHINGTON — Mike Sacks likes to be the first person in line for big Supreme Court arguments, and he was feeling pretty confident when he arrived at the court Monday morning around 8, 26 hours before the court would hear a big gun-control case.
But he found a couple from California already set up in lawn chairs. Robert Cumberland and Larken Euliss, two chemists from California, had arrived before dawn.
“I felt bad for him,” Mr. Cumberland said of Mr. Sacks. “But I’m not going to abdicate. I flew across the country for this.”
Mr. Cumberland wore a button that said “Guns Save Lives,” and he said the case to be argued on Tuesday, McDonald v. Chicago, was “going to force states like California to recognize that the Second Amendment is an individual right.”
Ms. Euliss had heard Mr. Cumberland’s analysis before. “I just think it’s neat that citizens can sit here and see law being made,” she said.
Mr. Sacks, a third-year law student at Georgetown, had set himself a goal, now shattered: he wanted to be the first person in line for every major argument this term. He brought three advantages to the task. He has no morning classes this semester, he lives pretty close to the court, and he has an unhealthy obsession with it. The name of his blog is a play on his habit of showing up early at the court’s street address: First One @ One First.
By Monday evening, the line had grown to about 30 people. There were gun-rights enthusiasts, along with Supreme Court groupies and law students.
Three men sat quietly in the winter gloaming. They were being been paid to hold places for others. One said he found the assignment on Craigslist, arrived at noon and would get $250 for 19 hours of work. He said his name was Benny and that he did not know his client’s name or profession.
About 15 enthusiastic and energetic students from Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, Calif., arrived not long after 7 p.m. It was like a camping trip, except with concrete and civics. An informal poll suggested that the students were leaning in favor of upholding the Chicago gun control law, one of the strictest in the nation, that is at issue in the case.
Three law students, two from Georgetown and one from George Washington, spoke earnestly about which part of the Fourteenth Amendment the court should use to apply the Second Amendment to state and local governments.
Josh Blackman was walking around telling people about his blog, which allows people to make predictions about how the term’s cases will come out. “I’m the czar of Fantasy Scotus,” he said by way of introduction, adding that he had recently barred three people from his site for cheating.
There were mixed feelings about whether making people wait all night in the cold to see their government at work was a reason to allow television coverage of Supreme Court arguments. Lyle Wincentsen said he was against cameras. “It turns it into a circus,” he said.
Corey Carpenter, a 23-year-old law student at George Mason University, was asked about his interesting blue hair. “It’s a personal commitment to liberty,” he explained. His decision to wait in line was impromptu, he said, and things were getting cold. His girlfriend would be bringing him some warm things, he said hopefully.
A large stack of pizzas arrived around 8 p.m., courtesy of the A.B.A. Journal, a legal magazine whose blog sometimes posts Mr. Sacks’s commentaries. The high school students hovered until Mr. Sacks invited them to dig in.
Around 6 in the morning on Tuesday, five burly men joined the group of placeholders, cutting the line. There was grumbling but nothing more.
Mr. Cumberland did not sleep all night, and by dawn on Tuesday, he was growing worried. “I don’t want to fall asleep during the argument,” he said.
As the sky brightened over the Capitol, the high school students were reading legal briefs and “The Nine,” a book about the Supreme Court.
Just after 7 a.m., the court police moved the line from the sidewalk to the steps in front of the court. Mr. Cumberland was told to take off his button. “No political logos on the plaza,” an officer said. A reporter asked the officer to explain the reasoning behind that rule. “You can’t interview people on the plaza,” the officer responded.
At 7:15, numbered placeholder’s cards were handed to the first 75 people in line. Chad Klinkenborg, who had arrived at 5:30 a.m., was No. 76. “I wish I’d gotten here a few minutes earlier,” he said. There were at least 30 people behind him.
The cards are not guarantees, and the number of seats set aside for members of the public who want to see entire arguments can be as few as 50. (There is a separate line for those interested in getting a three-minute glimpse.)
Mr. Cumberland looked punch drunk as he was given his card. “I hardly know what this case is about any more,” he said. “I’m so tired.”
