I know I am not the only one that is anxiously looking forward to see the confirmation hearings for Elena Kagen. I am after all a self proclaimed law geek and like all law geeks we all fantasize about being nominated to the Supreme Court. We all have imagined ourselves in that bench playing devil’s advocate and asking tough questions about Constitutional implications of a case, writing bench memos and having them pass around through each Justice’s office, delivering a fiery dissent or majority opinion that will change the course of American history and going down in history as a legend. I know I do it a lot, really. I usually imagine myself as a more sarcastic Antonin Scalia if I were a Justice. In fact, if I were dealing with a Fourth Amendment question I know that I would include quotations from The Wire and even bring up the show during oral arguments. I know I would try to be a Justice that really would be hard to pin down ideologically on the left or right; I have beliefs in both camps of the political spectrum.
Yes, I do have my dreams of being a Supreme Court justice. Who doesn’t? Not necessarily about being a Justice but about best in their field. I know several peers of mind who would love to be a Senator or be in Congress, some who want to be a campaign manager for the next Obama and those who want to be rock stars that are as well known as Less Than Jake and Sublime, and friends who want to be the next John Keats. We all dream about being the best and being famous. For a while I too had dreams about being a Congressman for my district working the campaign trail and having my picture taken while I kissed babies, maybe even being a guest judge in some sort of cooking contest.
Its funny how things have changed since I was five. At that age I wanted to be a pediatrician and be insanely rich so that I could take care of my mother, grandmother and brother. Then when I came to the states I wanted to be a graphic artist for the longest time or to do something with computers, then a politician and now work in the legal field. I shake my head at my five year old self and wonder if he would be in awe of me. Would he be happy at how his life turned out? Would he be disappointed in knowing that I do not like going to doctors and the thought of having to work with screaming kids all the time would drive me up the wall?
Cheer up five year old Carlos; you’re trading in a white lab coat for a judge’s robe. The mothers of potential girlfriends are just as impressed with lawyers as they are with doctors. That just reminds me of something a friend once said to me:
Its easy for me to tell you why I do what I do: Money, girls and I am really damn good at it.
Yes, a bit of truth to it.
