Appellate Law

Judge Bybee Pokes Fun (Update: He?s Not Alone)

By Greg May

When the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judges convened for their conference last year, they did so amid a lot of buzz about whether the circuit should be split up. If there is a similar cloud surrounding this year’s conference, I haven’t caught on to it.

But a lack of press buzz is no barrier to discussing the circuit’s checkered reputation. WSJ.com Law Blog summarizes Judge Bybee’s funny presentation about how the Ninth is viewed through the eyes of various institutions.

Update (8/1/08): Judge Bybee isn’t the only judicial joker this week.  Tenth Circuit Judge Michael McConnell earned some laughs this week by noting that the Constitution refers to his court as an “inferior” one.  his remark came during a recent panel discussion that included SCOTUS Justice Alito, which will be the subject of a separate post later today.  Thanks to Ben Shatz.

Full post as published by The California Blog of Appeal on August 01, 2008 (boomark / email).