Sen. Joe Biden just tried unsuccessfully to browbeat John Roberts over Title IX interpretation. The exchange is a good illustration of Roberts' continued insistence (correctly) on a narrow view of a judge's role and the senators' attempts (misguided) to figure out what Roberts believes now or once believed about certain issues. If Roberts believes, as he clearly stated, that there is "no room for a judge's own values and beliefs," that his or her job is to apply the law and nothing else, it is pointless to know whether he thinks girls ought to have the same right as boys to play volleyball. The senators' posturing is amusing enough not to be infuriating yet -- it hasn't sunk to the level of Oscar acceptance speeches. It's also instructive to watch someone who has argued a dozen cases before the Supreme Court show them for the amateurs they really are. (For what it's worth, the commentary on Court TV is more interesting than on any of the other channels.)
