Robert Bork. Remember the old fellow? He’s suing now.
Remember Robert Bork. He was the former federal appeals court judge nominated in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan to the Supreme Court. The U.S. Sena te made sure he did not wear the justice’s robe.
Thinking back almost 20 years I remember questioning the fact that Bork was not approved. I am very glad he was not. And a recent incident bears out what all opposing senators must have known in 1987. Bork was not fit to serve on the court.
Bork is recognized as a brilliant legal mind. But he has his detractors, and to some, his faults. A recent New York Times editorial stated that “He has long been famous for his lack of sympathy for people who go to court with claims of race or sex discrimination, or other injustices. He has gotten particularly exercised about accident victims driving up the cost of business by filing lawsuits. In an op-ed article, he once complained that ‘juries dispense lottery-like windfalls,’ and compared the civil justice system to ‘Barbary pirates.’”
Here’s the catch: Maybe for his smarts, the positions he’s held, or, who knows, maybe for being friendly with presidents, but Bork considers himself above the fray — in other words, better than most.
That bothers me. The first rule I would impose on any judge, for that matter is that he at least be empathetic. Definitely not the case with Bork.
Let me tell you about what happened just last year; Bork spoke at the Yale Club. On his way to the dais he stumbled and fell injuring a leg and his noggin. Now he’s doing what he called others Barbary pirates for doing. He sued the Yale Club.
For starters, and to set the record straight, after Bork took the plunge, he apparently dusted himself off and proceeded to give his speech. So there wasn’t much in the way of injuries. He followed that performance, though, with a $1 million lawsuit — add to that punitive damages, and he wants the Club to pay for his attorney’s fees. Speaking of lottery-like windfalls…
What irks me is that Bork probably believes that he deserves the money. In other words, he considers himself above those simpletons who in the past he referred to as pirates and such.
Alvaro F. Fernandez