Supreme Court Rules on Shakespeare
Supreme Court Justices Alito, Breyer, and Ginsburg presided over a libel case that filled Harman Hall, as part of the Shakespeare Theatre Company's famed annual mock trial. The inspirational work:Coriolanus.(Or as CNN calls it:Hamlet.)
WilmerHale appellate and Supreme Court litigation practice chairSeth Waxman argued for the petitioner in The Pen vs. The Sword(the estate of Coriolanus).We spotted the former US solicitor general engaging in some ex parte fraternizing with JusticeAlito during the pre-performance cocktail reception. But since Coriolanus's estate didn't end up the winner, maybe he should have looked for JusticeGinsburg: this is her 11th year presiding at the mock trial.Seth is fresh off a victory before the full SCOTUS, a unanimous win for client Monsanto in a patent law case decided on Monday.
Arnold & Porter appellate and Supreme Court practice headLisa Blatt was counsel for the respondent (theLatin Herald, Rome's version ofThe News of the World). She'sflanked by two more members of the presiding "College of Tribunes of Rome": Chief Judge Merrick Garland and Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Judge Douglas Ginsburg and Judge David Tatel(not pictured) rounded out the panel. Lisa's real-life track record before SCOTUS is pretty impressive: 33 cases, prevailing in 30, with two pending. And in this case the judges ruled that she did win for theLatin Herald.
Justices Breyer, Ginsburg, and Alito debate the finer points of Roman law circa500 BC. The trial debated whether theLatin Heraldcommitted libel against Coriolanus by publishing a story calling him a criminal and traitor, which led to his banishment and eventual death. The lawyers and judges managed to work in jokes about the 47%, Bush 43, lobbyists, tiger mothers,Congress ("maybe 2,500 years ago, being called a criminal or traitor was libel, now it's just debate"), the press, and even Citizens United.
Justice Breyer, referencing during the performance a portion ofCoriolanuswhere the character won't show his wounds, showed part of his sling beneath his robe (the result of surgery after a recent biking accident). We snappedthis picture before the evening's dinner. STC has been putting on its mock trial since '94, each time based on one of the season's plays. Last year the theatre received the Regional Theatre Tony Award.
Chadbourne litigation department chair Abbe Lowell, right, heads the Bard Association (which presents the mock trial each year). He also held a Q&A with the actor who plays Coriolanus in STC's actual performance of the play, Patrick Page, left.Abbe tells us he studied Shakespeare in college and was torn whether to pursue that or go into law. High-profile clients like John Edwards and Gary Condit are no doubt happy that he chose law, but he's also kept up with Shakespeare: he's been involved with the Shakespeare Theatre Company since the late '80s and currentlyis a trustee.
Akin Gump Supreme Court practice chair Pattie Millett, center, has 32SCOTUS arguments under her belt--but this was her first time watching the STC mock trial. We snapped her with McDermott government strategies practice chair and STC board memberStephen Ryan and Retail Litigation Center president Deborah White.
Last year, divorce lawyer to the starsSandy Ain participated in the mock trial as counsel in a divorce trial based onMuch Ado About Nothing, against Steptoe'sReid Weingarten. This year, we snapped him enjoying cocktail hour before the show with his wife, Miriam Ain. Miriam tells us one son is following the legal path and just finished his 1L year at Harvard (another son, a cardiologist, did his residency at Harvard's Mass General).
