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And I should note, I could name 6 without prompting, then hit myself when I saw who I forgot… |
Don’t cheat but here are the answers: John G. Roberts – Chief Justice of the United States John Paul Stevens Samuel A. Alito, Jr. Antonin Scalia Anthony Kennedy Clarence Thomas Ruth Bader Ginsburg Stephen Breyer Sonia Sotomayor |
I can name all 9. (A JD may not be worth as much now as it was a few years ago, but at least it occasionally gives me an excuse to feel superior to others.) |
I missed Breyer when I tried to do it. |
Meh. Seven off the top of my head… I missed Breyer and Stevens. My friend and mentor, who clerked for Breyer, would have a fit, an absolute fit I tell you, if she knew I missed him. I at least namelessly remembered Stevens as “that guy who’s retiring.” But I suspect that knowing the Nine (and what is in the Constitution) is a function of being a lawyer, more than anything else. A reflection, perhaps, of the increased pressure to specialize in knowledge early on in education? (You know, the extreme version of Jocks, Geeks, and Soc’s in high-school?) |
I can also name all 9, but I’m a law student. I wonder what the number is like for non legal professionals in the Bloggernacle. (I suspect higher than the general population.) |
I’ll bet all those respondents who didn’t know the century in which the American Revolution took place answered “17th Century” not “18th Century”. I’ll bet that if they were asked the year, most probably knew. (My exposure with these types of surveys is that they are written in a manner that actually measures something other than being asked.) |
Took the quiz, got 85%… but it mostly seemed to be about trivia, and little of importance in every day life. My observation in the courtroom is that people generally have a strong sense of their rights when those rights are on the line. What people need is not more trivia in their heads, but more linkages between these facts and daily life. |
I got them all. Probably no surprise. :) |
Ok so the lawyers among us know them all. Anyone else beyond the lawyers? I guess the question is does it really matter that the lay person does not know any of the Justices? I think it is indicative of a broader problem as I would posit that these same people don’t often know who their congressman, senator or state leaders are. |
I know all of them. Not a lawyer. |
I also do not think it is as important as know who your Representative and your Senators are. In particular, knowing all 9 in not very important, though I would feel better if people knew one or two. The important thing is understand what they do. |
I know them all, too. I love the soap opera of the SCOTUS docket. I am but a lowly teacher. |
All of them. Not a lawyer. |
What people need is not more trivia in their heads, but more linkages between these facts and daily life. I think that’s about right. |
I’m another non-lawyer who named all nine. Given how many other commenters were also able to, I have to wonder about the validity of that poll turning up only 1% who could. Could Chris H., ESO, a random John, and I all be that exceptional, and also this web site that has all of us commenting here this morning? |
“Could Chris H., ESO, a random John, and I all be that exceptional,” Well, yes. Duh. |
I’m trying not to cheat. Warren, O-Connor, Ginsburg, Uh that really cute guy–Roberts? Thomas, a little skinny guy, Alito, the lady from Puerto Rico, or maybe it was the Bronx. Guess I suck at supreme court justices. I thought we were supposed to name any—not just the current ones. I think Breyer is the skinny guy. One thing I’m curious about. How do they get so rich? |
I got 9, but I’m a lawyer. |
Also, as a lawyer, I feel compelled to point out that you should probably link to the article, or at least excerpt it, rather than copying and pasting it in its entirety. And this is why people hate lawyers. |
I can name all nine. Not a lawyer |
I could name five plus “that new Latina one.” I missed Kennedy, Breyer, and Stevens. Also, Souter was among my five. I blame it on the vuvuzelas. |
I could name 8 — I spaced on Stevens, and feel kind of dumb for it. But which is more disturbing: The fact that most Americans cannot name a single Supreme Court Justice. Or the fact that most Americans can only name a single self-proclaimed Messiah that lived in Israel in the century before Rome destroyed Jerusalem. |
Doh. 7 out of 9, and kicked myself when I missed Scalia and Alito (“I KNEW that!”). Not a lawyer. |
Oh, and 85% on the quiz. I also thought of the other stories about lack of geographical knowledge, such as being able to find Iraq on a map of the world. I don’t think that I’m all that special, but I’m frequently surprised by the lack of knowledge about important events and issues in both adults and school age kids. |
Ok, took the quiz, scored 93%. |
Is there a link to the quiz? |
Good to know there are some non-lawyers that blog. How come so many lawyers blog? Don’t you people have something to do? And, BTD Greg, I did not link it and probably should… |
I’ve taken various quizzes like this over the years and I miss Breyer every time. I’m not sure why. |
Like the other attorneys, I knew ‘em all. What can I say? It’s what I do for a living. And yeah, BTD Greg is right, copying the whole article is a pretty clear violation of 17 U.S.C. § 106(1) and (3). *ducks* |
ok I updated it with the link… er, I mean the link was there the whole time, you guys just couldn’t see it… |
Devyn (28) – Because we’d pretty much rather be doing anything other than our jobs – even at 2:46 am. |
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