The Deets

Bret Thiele nails it in his take on Roberts’ work for President Reagan:

His client’s lawyer

Neither the Senate nor the American public should let the Bush administration and Supreme Court chief justice nominee John Roberts get away with their oft-repeated talking point that Roberts did not profess far-right views during his tenure in the Reagan administration, but rather was simply and objectively representing his client.

Of course, lawyers have an ethical duty to be zealous advocates for their clients, but they are under no duty to work for a client who wants to use the attorney’s skills to achieve an unjust result.

The Reagan administration sought to erode and deny civil rights to racial minorities and women. Rather than simply saying, "I won’t use my skills to help you achieve those unjust ends — no matter how large a paycheck you wave in front of me," Roberts gladly advocated for those ends.

That alone should call into question not only his independence but his morality.

Bret Thiele, Duluth”>Letters from readers: “His client’s lawyer

Neither the Senate nor the American public should let the Bush administration and Supreme Court chief justice nominee John Roberts get away with their oft-repeated talking point that Roberts did not profess far-right views during his tenure in the Reagan administration, but rather was simply and objectively representing his client.

Of course, lawyers have an ethical duty to be zealous advocates for their clients, but they are under no duty to work for a client who wants to use the attorney’s skills to achieve an unjust result.

The Reagan administration sought to erode and deny civil rights to racial minorities and women. Rather than simply saying, ‘I won’t use my skills to help you achieve those unjust ends — no matter how large a paycheck you wave in front of me,’ Roberts gladly advocated for those ends.

That alone should call into question not only his independence but his morality.

Bret Thiele, Duluth”

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