The Funniest Justice, week 4: The justice stands alone
During oral arguments Tuesday, Justice Stephen Breyer thought he’d found a perfect way to interpret and apply a federal immigration law. His only reservation: no one else had ever thought of it.
“Nobody has,” Breyer said. “Now, to me [the application] makes sense, but apparently to no one else. So I would like to be talked down.”
Amanda Leiter, a professor at Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law, tried to make her case politely.
“With respect, Your Honor, I think that ‘no one’ includes Congress,” she said.
“I didn’t leave anyone out,” Breyer said. “‘No one’ is universal.”
That was one of five laugh-inducing comments from Breyer during oral arguments this week, making him the Funniest Justice of the week, and bringing him up to second place in the overall standings. He and Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., however, still trail far behind Justice Antonin Scalia, who has more laughs this term than Breyer and Roberts combined.
Here are the laugh standings:
Justice Antonin Scalia: 23
Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.: 11
Justice Stephen Breyer: 11
Justice Anthony Kennedy: 4
Justice John Paul Stevens: 2
Justice Samuel Alito: 1
Justice Clarence Thomas (Thomas has remained silent during oral arguments since Feb. 22, 2006): 0
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 0
Justice Sonia Sotomayor: 0
