If you could ask the Chief Justice one question, what would it be?

A fun query for many of us, we often ask ourselves what question we would pose to different individuals, given the chance. Usually, we wonder about high profile individuals, often they are people unique to our situations/context. For instance, the theologian might quizz Calvin or Luther, while the business man might question Rockefeller or Henry Ford. Most Americans would probably want to interrogate President Bush, or God.

For the lawyer, aspiring or practicing, the one person to whom we'd love to posit a question is the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, to wit, the highest ranking judicial officer in the entire world.

I wonder what I'd ask him? Actually, I KNOW what I'd ask him. Because I already did.

Yes, our beloved Chief Justice John Roberts came to the USC law school yesterday to preside over the final hearing of our student Moot Court Bar Competition. He wasn't alone;there were plenty of secret service agents that were walking around in the library while I was trying to study yesterday morning, and the panel of guest judges also included:
The Hon. Jean H. Toal, chief justice, Supreme Court of South Carolina;
The Hon. William W. Wilkins, chief judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit;
The Hon. Kaye G. Hearn, chief judge, South Carolina Court of Appeals; and
The Hon. Joseph F. Anderson Jr., chief judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

So, to take advantage of the once in a lifetime opportunity to stare eye to eye and dialogue with the king of stare decisis, I had to ask the Justice a question. And, being the good the 'ol Carolina boy that I am, it had to include football.

"Do y'all tailgate at Redskins games?"

Actually, it was a little more intelligent than that. And the heart of my question was a genuine curiosity as to what life for a justice is like behind the closed doors of the Supreme Court. It was a good question. Clear. Concise. Sincere. It wasn't one of those let-me-show-you-how-much-I-know-by-pretending-this-is-a-question questions. And on two occasions, my query made the Chief Justice (and the rest of our packed out auditorium) burst into laughter. Top that, Jay Sekulow.

"Could you talk about the relationships between the justices outside the conference room and your discussions of different cases before the Court? I know that here at the USC law school, one of the biggest skills we are learning is the ability to argue and disagree with your classmates in class, but still be able to go out with them for happy hour afterwards. So I'm curious what the camaraderie is like between the justices, even when you may disagree on certain issues. I mean, do y'all tailgate at Redskins games on the weekend?"

Roberts laughed, told us that he was in fact a Bears fan, and then gave a serious response to my mostly serious question.

And that was it. I talked to John Roberts. He talked back. Probably the coolest thing I've done in a while. I love law school.

So be ready, in case YOU ever get the chance to ask that one person that one question that you've always wanted the answer to.
I know what mine is: "What'd you think of my first question?"