Justice O'Connor's Bizarre Love Triangle Ailing Husband
(And an ATL Special Report on Her Columbia Law School Visit)
Back in July 2005, shortly after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her resignation from the Supreme Court, Professor Orin Kerr wrote an L.A. Times op-ed about how the Court might be affected by her departure. Its provocative title: O'Connor's Successor Will Likely Be a Swinger.
We were reminded of Professor Kerr's op-ed when we read this piece, by SOC biographer Joan Biskupic, in USA Today:
Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's husband, who suffers from Alzheimer's, has found a new romance, and his happiness is a relief to his wife, an Arizona TV report reveals.The report, which quoted the couple's oldest son, Scott O'Connor, focused on Alzheimer's patients who forget their spouses and fall in love with someone else. Experts say the scenario is somewhat common.
[T]he report spotlighted John O'Connor, 77. He and the woman, referred to only as "Kay," live at a Phoenix facility for people with Alzheimer's.
A lesser woman might be troubled by the December-December romance. But Justice O'Connor, who understands the nature of her husband's devastating illness, is fine with it -- in fact, more than fine:
"Mom was thrilled that Dad was relaxed and happy and comfortable living here and wasn't complaining," Scott, 50, told KPNX-Channel 12 in Phoenix in a story that aired Thursday. The station is owned by Gannett, as is USA TODAY....Scott compared his father to "a teenager in love" and said, "For Mom to visit when he's happy … visiting with his girlfriend, sitting on the porch swing holding hands," was a relief after a painful period.
In any event, Justice O'Connor is too busy with her own work to be consumed by petty jealousies. Her busy schedule of meetings and speaking engagements has kept her on the road, both nationally and internationally. Recently she was in Paris -- c'est magnifique!
Earlier today, SOC spoke at Columbia Law School. A report on her visit appears after the jump.
Her speech was focused on how to balance civil liberties and security. But observers were more struck by how grumpy the justice was:
She stopped in the middle of her speech to tell the photographer to take a hike, and blew off basically every question that the audience asked her at the end. One student, his voice quivering with fear, asked her why she had only provided limited procedural protections to Hamdi. She basically said: "I don't have to defend myself to you."
We love it! Being a Supreme Court justice means never having to say you're sorry -- or explain yourself.
(Yeah, we know, there are those pesky things called "written opinions," in which the justices purport to explain themselves. But when it comes to SOC, let's not delude ourselves. As many authors have noted, including Jeffrey Toobin and Jan Crawford Greenburg, the famously decisive O'Connor was known for making up her mind first, and finding the reasoning later. And many -- including, for example, Justice Antonin Scalia -- found the reasoning wanting.)
Anyway, back to our tipster:
The only question she really seemed interested in answering was about the ranch she grew up on; she cut off a professor mid-way through a question about her childhood pet pony. It was not a pony; it was a small horse. And its name was Chico.
And what about the most important part of any judicial sight-ation: How was SOC looking?
She was wearing some kind of shiny deep purple quilted-looking shirt and (maybe?) black pants. She stood for the whole hour, despite having a tall chair behind the podium.
Interesting. It appears that Justice O'Connor has recovered nicely from whatever it was that confined her to a wheelchair, at a speaking engagement here in DC earlier this month.
(Shameless plug: Speaking of appearances at Columbia Law School, we'll be speaking there next Tuesday, November 20th, at 12:25 p.m. Mark your calendars!)
A new page in O'Connors' love story [USA Today]
O'Connor on the Temporary Disabled List [The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times]
O'Connor's Successor Will Likely Be a Swinger [Los Angeles Times]
New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle [YouTube]
(55) Comments
oops
first to say that that must suck, but good for her.
first?
That is so, so sad. Man.
It's such a bittersweet story, and she must really love her husband that she's happy he's forgotten her and found love again.
Who cares--what was great was the open bar and free food supplied by CLS--only way to get a full house. Saved me from taking in pizza
She has always been such a classy lady. The story brings tears to my eyes.
"It appears that Justice O'Connor has recovered nicely from whatever it was that confined her to a wheelchair, at a speaking engagement here in DC earlier this month."
Or her back is so messed up she can't sit...
2:55, spoken like a true Columbia Law student...
Can we at least have some respect for a Supreme Court justice? I actually am a huge fan of the snarkiness and humor of this site, but to refer to Supreme Court Justice O'Connor's (title spelled out for emphasis) situation as a "bizarre love triangle" goes to far. No one who has been through what she and her husband have been through should be referred to that way, least of all someone who has clearly earned our respect. Like I said, I am all for irreverence. But let's limit it to chicks with peanut allergies and bad law school deans, not her.
Ick! More information than I needed to know.
I have to agree with 3:01 - Lat, trying to inject snarkiness here was a big, big, tasteless mistake. Apologize and get rid of it. This certainly isn't going to make you any friends among anyone with even a small modicum of respect for O'Connor or someone who is losing their mind in the throes of a trult terrible illness. You should be embarassed for yourself.
Gallion OUT!
I grew up in a building where everyone (100+ tenants) were over 60+. As I grew up a good number of myneighbors developed Alzheimers had Alzheimer's. It is a heartbreaking disease and, for those of you who don't know, it turns people who you once knew into a shell of themselves. It scares both the stricken and their family and there is often little happiness to be had by anyone truly touched by the disease. Judge O'Connor has probably suffered greatly, as has her husband. Any little bit of happiness can be a welcomed change to a family. I don't understand why the headline needs to be SO over-the-top. We love the sensational headlines, but save them for those who deserve it...
I grew up in a building where everyone (100+ tenants) were over 60+. As I grew up a good number of myneighbors developed Alzheimers had Alzheimer's. It is a heartbreaking disease and, for those of you who don't know, it turns people who you once knew into a shell of themselves. It scares both the stricken and their family and there is often little happiness to be had by anyone truly touched by the disease. Judge O'Connor has probably suffered greatly, as has her husband. Any little bit of happiness can be a welcomed change to a family. I don't understand why the headline needs to be SO over-the-top. We love the sensational headlines, but save them for those who deserve it...
"Love Triangle" angle is really misleading and disappoints! The alzheimer's angle is definitely more interesting and rare, so why not go with that in the title?
Whatever I thought about Lat before this, I didn't think he was a tasteless creep. Now I do.
Gallion OUT!
I see no problem with the headline. Something can be simultaneously (1) bizarre and (2) tragic.
I agree with 3:01
people need to relax. the amount of sh*t we make fun of, and this goes over the line? I'm sure most of us know someone who has had the disease, but it doesnt mean a pointless blog needs to get us all upset by making a stupid joke about it...
Dear Mr. Lat,
We understand this site is a tabloid, and tabloids have little class and can run toward the offensive. And certainly you also realize that your readership is a bit more sophisticated than that of [insert low-brow supermarket gossip tabloid]. But this post crosses the line.
Not to mention that she's the first female SC Justice. Have some respect.
No matter where the line is drawn between tabloid and what not, Sandra is a babe. I'd love to be in any kind of triangle with her.
Lat, this post was both offensive and hurtful. Wait a minute, I just forgot ... what are we talking about?
Hell, S & C proudly represented the Nazis and even we are grossly offended by this. Get a conscience, Lat.
"Bizarre Love Triangle" is a reference to a New Order song.
I want youtube footage of any catfights in fountains between SOC and her husband's trick.
3:38 -- no sh@t sherlock. and that makes it less offensive how? moron.
Gallion OUT!
3:38 is right. Note the link to the YouTube video for the song at the end of the posting.
zzzzzzz
who gives a shit?
UNLOCK THE PEANUT GIRL THREAD!!!!!
Lat has now placed the offending text in strikethrough.
Gallion, even when I agree with you (like about this post), you annoy the hell out of me.
There was a period when you were away from ATL. I miss that period.
At a recent Cornell speech, O'Connor insisted that Bush v. Gore ended the 2004 election. Pity the poor, gentile Ithacan asking a question from the audience who tried to correct her...
I have to agree; publishing this story (not necessarily Lat, but the AP) is a pretty distasteful thing to do.
She's coming to Ga State College of Law in the spring. Heh. Maybe I'll ask the Hamdi question. Should be interesting since she was the favorite subject of my con law prof.
Saddest post ever. I don't think I'd be as gracious with my husband if he forgot me and started up something with someone else.
4:23, you sound like a real bitch.
Tasteless.
Wow. I'd never heard of that. Yet another horrible demension to that awful disease.
Still tasteless.
I think anyone who has actually been touched by the disease in any way is grimacing a little bit at the headline.
And 3:48 -- "Pity the poor, gentile Ithacan asking a question from the audience who tried to correct her"... Pity the non-gentiles too.
"Bizarre Love Triangle" is *not* a reference to a New Order song. It is a New Order song.
Another vote for tasteless.
The whole point of the news story--which the O'Connors cooperated with--is that these situations arise with Alzheimer's and it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's not an expose of a family's private pain.
The post refers to John O'Connor's "devastating illness," and it praises SOC for her strength in dealing with it. I don't see the problem.
So sad. This is like the plot of that Alice Munro story, "A Bear Came Over The Mountain" (made into the movie Away from Her.) I had no idea it happened in real life.
I agree though that it shouldn't have been posted. We can have a wee modicum of respect here, I think, without losing the funness.
I guess that the difference between a considerate, decent human being and an asshole is that a considerate, decent human being would have written this story as being a touching and emotional personal event for the family of a public figure, whereas an asshole would write it like it appears here...
what a bunch of whiners...
her son gave interviews about it.
What - you think Lat is lurking outside the retirement home taking pictures of her husband and his sweetie?
whiners!!!
Wow, what a dignified woman.
Smooth move by Johnny OC with the "whoops, I forgot I'm married" thing.
Yup, tasteless Lat. Truly a low moment for ATL. I hope if you're up for any sort of mainstream gig, someone brings up this post. This is a tabloid, fine. We all like it when you're crass, etc. But that doesn't mean there isn't a line you shouldn't cross. And poking fun at this situation is over the line.
I read that newspaper story that discussed your own personal tragedy with one of your family members. I would hope any poster who poked fun at a story discussing that situation would be scorned by the posters here.
Lat already retracted the headline, by placing it in strikethrough. Presumably the only reason he left it in strikethrough, rather than deleting it altogether, is that deleting it altogether would render the comments criticizing it nonsensical.
oh, please. Give me a break with all the self-righteous histrionics here. "Can't we let them have some privacy with their pain?" - Um, the family wanted this story out there - and it is a bizarre aspect of the disease.
A moment of silence please for your feelings.
keep up the good work Lat
the family went out of their way to do this story what is the bfd???
The bfd is that Lat is making fun of the first female SC Justice because her husband is ill. Very classy.
11.51 and 11.56 - It is unlikely the family 'wanted it out there'. It is more likely that they didn't want the media to misinterpret in and so did some pre-emptive damage control. Lat's tone, btw, is disgusting.
Lat - you couldn't even get a clerkship and we all now how much that hurt you, you stupid prestige whoring cock.
Let's be honest - Lat is jealous cos he knows that none of the men he pays for sex in a public toilet would stick around if he forgot to go to the gym less than 3 times in a week! He doesn't understand what marriage or commitment is all about. But we're all laughing at him because his pathetic insecurities are so transparent.
4:28 -- whose insecurities are so transparent? hmmmm.....
Ithaca is Gorges