"On this first Monday in October, the Supreme Court opened its new
term today," an excited Diane Sawyer announced Monday night, trumpeting
how it's "making history for America's mothers, sisters and daughters."
ABC reporter Terry Moran was even more thrilled, marveling that "the
most remarkable thing in that courtroom today, on this historic day, was
how unremarkable it was."
Despite the lack anything "remarkable," however, Moran found new Justice Elena Kagan's performance quite remarkable, trumpeting
"the one word that leapt to my mind was 'ready,'" touting how "she was
confident and well prepared and fluent and probing" and, at one moment, "you could almost...imagine some of the other justices...looking
down the bench at Justice Kagan like a major league scout might say,
'you know, that kid's got some real pop on her fastball.'"
An eager Sawyer wondered: "How was Justice Kagan on her first day?" A giddy Moran expounded:
Well, the one word that leapt to my mind was "ready." Within minutes of the start of these arguments in this bankruptcy case, she was jumping into the fray of oral arguments. She was confident and well prepared and fluent and probing. At one point she asked a question of one of the lawyers that frankly seemed to stump them a little bit. A quiet kind of came over the courtroom as he gathered his thoughts. And you could almost sense or imagine some of the other justices and veteran court watchers kind of looking down the bench at Justice Kagan like a major league scout might say, "you know, that kid's got some real pop on her fastball."
From the Monday, October 4 ABC World News:
DIANE SAWYER: And on this first Monday in October, the Supreme Court opened its new term today - making history for America's mothers, sisters and daughters. Terry Moran covers the court for us and tell us about this new day on the high court. Terry, good evening.
TERRY MORAN: Good evening, Diane. It was a historic day. For the first time, three women took their seats on the high court, Justice Elena Kagan joining Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg up there. But Diane, the most remarkable thing in that courtroom today, on this historic day, was how unremarkable it was. The court really went about business as usual, a bankruptcy case, a sentencing case. No mention made of the history being made. But maybe Justice Ruth Ginsburg summed it up best in an interview she gave when she said: "When the schoolchildren file in and out of the court, they look up and they see three women, and that will seem natural and proper - just how it is." And that is how it was.
SAWYER: And how was Justice Kagan on her first day?
MORAN: Well, the one word that leapt to my mind was "ready." Within minutes of the start of these arguments in this bankruptcy case, she was jumping into the fray of oral arguments. She was confident and well prepared and fluent and probing. At one point she asked a question of one of the lawyers that frankly seemed to stump them a little bit. A quiet kind of came over the courtroom as he gathered his thoughts. And you could almost sense or imagine some of the other justices and veteran court watchers kind of looking down the bench at Justice Kagan like a major league scout might say, "you know, that kid's got some real pop on her fastball."
SAWYER: So, no first day nerves for her. Thank you Terry Moran. Big day at the court.
- Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here [1] to follow him on Twitter.