[The chief justice's personality is also important, legal analysts say.] He does have many of the qualities that potentially can make for a great and influential chief justice, ... He has that great intellect, which no one has denied, and a personality in many respects similar to Rehnquist's - a very charming, affable, low-key, modest personality that was able to make the court a much friendlier and somewhat less contentious place. |
[The ground rules for asking and answering questions] are kind of ad hoc, ... they invoke the history they need for the particular occasion. |
All the survivors and families of people who perished on 9/11 will be called, and it's hard to imagine how to counter any of that. |
By and large, the court is very deferential to this administration and others before it. |
He anticipated an attack on him. I have a lot of respect for a judge who, presented with a difficult decision, admits it's going to be tough. He has discharged his oath. |
He is saying as little as he needs to be confirmed and hasn't made many mistakes that trouble a majority of senators whose votes he needs. |
His behavior is so erratic it's hard to know what his testimony will mean for his case. But he has a right to testify. |
His testimony could turn the jury against him. |
Hopefully it won't come to that, but maybe [BlackBerry users] should be mildly concerned. |
I assume [Research In Motion] took that to heart, or at least it made them get serious about settlement. |
I don't believe somebody like Tom DeLay is going to take any chances by way of his representation, and his reputation. |
I don't think anybody today sees a reason for a filibuster, but they may after the hearing if the answers are troubling to them or they feel they haven't gotten the answers to important questions. |
I don't understand why that wasn't used. Congress has clearly provided for what was going on. It seems to be that that procedure should have been followed. |
I think it's pretty probable that the verdict would hold up. My sense is that the judge was pretty careful. |
If he had not testified, it seems likely the jury would have come in in his favor. |