The Daily Howler - 09/15/05

CARTOON NETWORK! Sorry! The Center wasn’t “all over cable,” despite what observers “recall:”: // link // print // previous // next //

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005

WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT: How endlessly weak is press corps logic? Yesterday, CNN pundits wondered if Roberts should reveal his views on Roe. As they debated, Candy Crowley presented the puzzling view discussed in the last two HOWLERs:

CROWLEY (9/14/05): But when somebody comes before the Supreme Court—if I go to the Supreme Court on an abortion case, and I know that I'm looking at someone who doesn't think that there's a constitutional right to abortion, aren't I going, "I don't know want this guy to judge me?” Because I know exactly how he feels and he can't do it fairly? Boom.

According to Crowley, Roberts shouldn’t reveal his views because, if he did, he couldn’t judge fairly. But Crowley ignored an obvious fact—we already know what the eight current justices think about the Roe decision. Indeed, they’ve discussed their views many times in the past. Does that mean that they can’t judge fairly in future cases? If not, why should Roberts be the only one whose view on Roe are a mystery?