Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Chief Justice Robers speaks at U. Montana
By Ashley Zuelke
Montana Kaimin (U. Montana)
09/14/2007

(U-WIRE) MISSOULA, Mont. — Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts told an overflow audience on Thursday in the University of Montana Theatre how to be a good lawyer: jump into the fire and survive.

"As a judge, I'm especially aware that our legal system cannot function unless lawyers bring a persistence and dedication to the process," Roberts said in his advice to University of Montana law students.

After one of Montana's worst fire seasons on record, Roberts compared lawyers to smoke jumpers in a clear and serious, yet appropriately witty, address.

Roberts spoke in the ninth installment of the School of Law's Jones-Tamm Lecture Series honoring two judges with close ties to Montana who served on the federal bench.

Opening and closing with somewhat self-deprecating quips, Roberts' speech had a local and familiar flavor. In his address, Roberts frequently referred to award-winning Montana author Norman MacLean and his non-fiction work about the historic 1948 Mann Gulch Fire, "Young Men and Fire".

Although being a lawyer isn't life-threatening work, Roberts said, the smoke jumping and legal professions parallel one another. Lawyers, like smoke jumpers, often throw themselves into difficult situations many people would avoid, he said.

Roberts said law students should work through cases counter-intuitively, relying on reason rather than pure instinct in difficult situations.

Roberts told how 13 of the 15 smoke jumpers who fought the Mann Gulch Fire died trying to instinctively outrun the fire. He said the foreman who survived did so by assessing the details of the situation and burning the area around him before the fire reached him.

"Whether in firefighting or lawyering, the ability to recognize the details of a matter is what invariably makes all the difference," he said, referring to MacLean's search to find the true story of Mann Gulch.

Roberts avoided any Supreme Court issues in his speech, telling his audience, "Of course, what you will find most interesting is precisely what I cannot talk about."

In a question and answer session with UM law students preceding his address, students were not allowed to ask Roberts political questions, but said he was personable and straightforward.

"He didn't dodge any of my questions," third-year law student Jesse Myers said, adding that Robert's sense of humor popped up during questioning just as much as in the speech.

Journalism alumna and third-year law student Hilary Oitzinger said it didn't matter that politics were left out of Roberts' visit.

"I think it has nothing to do with politics," she said, "It has everything to do with the opportunity to see such a distinguished jurist — the most distinguished jurist."

Roberts' speech met minor criticism. One UM student and two former UM students held signs protesting the court's "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" decision. The June decision on free speech in schools allows punishment for public school students who use pro-illegal substance language.

President George W. Bush appointed Roberts to his current position almost two years ago. More 5-4 decisions have been made within the last year than previous years. Roberts has cast a majority vote in decisions that include upholding a partial-birth abortion ban and not allowing school districts to factor in race when diversifying school populations.

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