Bong Hits 4 ATL: A Photo Essay (Part 1)
The U.S. Supreme Court building at One First Street, on the morning of Monday, March 19. Like rock star groupies, SCOTUS fans camped out overnight for a chance to breathe the same air as the nine robed ones.
As we previously explained, we didn’t make it in to see the argument in Morse v. Frederick, aka the “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” case, before the Supreme Court on Monday. But our trip wasn’t a complete waste, since we did get some video footage (here, here, here, and here).
Oh wait — you HATED our videos. Well, at least give us credit for mixing things up a little around here. Every now and then, we like to try new things, to keep ATL from getting hidebound. Not every experiment works; but that’s why they call them experiments.
Anyway, hopefully you’ll like our still photography more. We’re post them in two batches. The first set of pictures, of Dean Kenneth Starr and two colleagues, appears after the jump.
Dean Ken Starr (right), accompanied by a tall, dark and handsome colleague. We assume this gentleman is an associate — or maybe a non-equity partner (same difference) — at Kirkland & Ellis.
We must chide this fellow, however, for two transgressions. First, he’s not wearing a long topcoat. C’mon, kid — there’s a reason they call it the SUPREME Court. Even we, the hoi polloi who came as mere spectators, were wearing an overcoat that fell to the knee.
Second, why isn’t he wheeling Dean Starr’s litigation bag for him? What good is an associate who doesn’t carry (or wheel) a senior colleague’s lit bag?
Kenneth Starr, smiling like he means it. And we weren’t even wearing our blue dress!
Kenneth Starr and his crew. Check out their broad smiles — what happy warriors!
We had to avert our eyes. We couldn’t stand the sight of a former D.C. Circuit judge and Solicitor General trying to drag a wheeled litigation bag up a flight of steps. It’s completely unseemly.
Team Starr, riding off into the sunset (or sunrise, as the case may be).
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David, don't let the disparagng comments of a few dictate the course of ATL. Many of the thousands of loyal readers who do not generally feel the need to post loved the videos. I fully support the experiment.
keep the videos coming. and the photos are great too
Mr. Lat, I must disagree with the posters who didn't like the videos. They woke me up (at least for a minute or two).
I also must disagree with you: I think the K&E's associate short topcoat actually looks more stylish (and younger) than the longer topcoats you speak of.
12:27: A three-quarter-length topcoat is acceptable. Not everything needs to be super-long. But what the K&E associate is wearing is more like a peacoat...
12:30, i think that's kindof stylish though. It doesn't look weird at all, to me at least. In fact, I think I'll buy a peacoat too.
The unidentified man is K&E LA partner Eric Hagen. Don't know if he's equity or non-equity.
Peacoats are for college frat boys or midshipmen. Grownups -- especially ones that are part of a legal team appearing before the Supreme Court -- wear overcoats.
Non-equity. And the woman is his wife, Amber Hagen, a Harvard Law grad with her own line of baby-clothing.
And Ken Starr is of counsel, not a partner.
Seriously Lat, "fact-checking" like this takes how long? We get that this is not supposed to be "serious" journalism, but even the Post gives a better effort than this.
I think Lat is aware that Starr (whom he refers to as "Dean Starr") is no longer a partner at K&E.
The point is that the senior statesman in an entourage - in this case, Starr, even if Hagen is a non-equity partner (functionally, a highly paid associate) - should not be schlepping his own stuff.
I see you've figured out how to use the camera...
why shouldn't he pull his own bag. It shows that Starr is not asshole obsessed with himself and his status like most NY lawyers are.
Hagen, the young partner, is on the brief: http://lawmemo.com/sct/06/Morse/brief_pet.pdf.
Looks like he's graduated beyond schlepping two litigation bags (his and Judge Starr's), and Hagen's baby-clothing-designer wife is just too darn cute to be schlepping Judge Starr's bag.
If you have a wheelie bag, whether a lit bag or one of those black carry-on suitcases, and you reach a flight of stairs, should you push down the long handle and carry your bag up by the short handle? Or should you do what Starr does, and try to drag your bag up the stairs?
"I think Lat is aware that Starr (whom he refers to as "Dean Starr") is no longer a partner at K&E.
The point is that the senior statesman in an entourage - in this case, Starr, even if Hagen is a non-equity partner (functionally, a highly paid associate) - should not be schlepping his own stuff."
Well, he's aware NOW, which is why he edited his original post in several places. What a douche.
3:01: Thanks, Eric Hagen. But you shouldn't take this so personally. Lat's fashion commentary is offered ironically (because who the hell cares how lawyers dress).
3:13. Sure thing, David Lat.
Because what could be more ironic than a gay man giving fashion criticism.
David,
Proper usage of "hoi polloi" is without the article "the."
In defense of Hagen's fashion, he is in K&E's LA office -- what does someone living in beautiful LA need with a full-length topcoat? Starr probably had to dig his out of the closet from his DC days.
2:42: It depends on how many steps there are. For a short flight (under ten stairs), I'd do what Starr did and just drag the damn thing.
Lat, DC has dulled your fashion sense. Simon Kneen, creative design director at Brooks Brothers, was quoted recently (December 23, 2006) in the Wall Street Journal as saying, "Peacoats, which are in style this year, are versatile enough to be worn over suits or casual clothes." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116683899351758327-search.html?KEYWORDS=kneen&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month. Shorter and sleeker is the trend in men's dress coats, and peacoats (provided they cover one's suit jacket) are perfectly appropos. As to their stylishness, nobody can dispute that the U.S. Navy is the best dressed branch of the military.