Answer: Douglas Ginsburg, and the admission that he’d smoked marijuana — not only as a student but as a member of the Harvard Law faculty. Reagan tapped Ginsburg, a 41-year-old D.C. Circuit judge, on October 29, 1987, days after the Senate rejected Robert Bork by the widest margin in history. When NPR’s Nina Totenberg reported the marijuana use — deeply embarrassing for an administration then waging a high-profile War on Drugs — Ginsburg withdrew about a week later, before formal hearings ever began. Reagan then nominated Anthony Kennedy, who was confirmed unanimously. Read more here.
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