The Real Dogs of Supreme Court Justices
While John Oliver didn't add a new dog to the Supreme Court when Justice Gorsuch was confirmed, the TV viewing world didn't seem to mind that much. Oliver had his reasons apparently.
And if you're a "dog person" and fan of the Supreme Court (or vice versa), then you might want to check out the John Oliver pieces as well as the hours upon hours of YouTube videos that people have uploaded using the Last Week Tonight Supreme Court dogs dubbed to real oral arguments. Don't worry, Justice Alito and the others are enjoying it too.
Below you can read about a few of the dogs that Supreme Court Justices have owned.
Justice Robert H. Jackson
Justice Jackson served from 1941 to 1954, and in a quaint, old timey, family photo on the Robert H. Jackson Center's website, you can see Justice Jackson with his family and family dog (who based on the photo credits was named "the Attorney General" -- we like to joke around here sometimes).
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's Susie
Apparently, as a young girl, the trailblazing Justice really wanted a dog. She took in a bobcat, a tortoise, and more, but eventually was a given a free stray dog by someone in town and was able to convince her mother to not only let her keep it, but she allowed the little dog, Susie, inside too.
Justice Alito's Zeus
Perhaps winning first prize for best dog on the Supreme Court might have to be Justice Alito's former furry companion Zeus. Zeus was a springer-spaniel that was known for helping Alito make up his mind and test out ideas. Fortunately, as Justice Alito explained "he generally agreed with me." The Justice actually admitted to placing two competing briefs an equal distance away from Zeus, then putting the same amount of treats on top of both, then seeing which one Zeus would go for.
Surprisingly, finding images of Zeus online isn't so easy (like most aspects of Justice's personal lives, there just isn't much out there nor online).
Justice Gorsuch's Wife's Running Pack
The newest member of the Court, regardless of your opinion of him or his opinions, clearly married well as he married a dog lover. Justice Gorsuch's wife, Marie Louise, apparently enjoys running with her dogs.
Related Resources:
- Watch 'RBG' Documentary on CNN This Labor Day Weekend (FindLaw's Supreme Court Blog)
- A Day in the Life of Justice Gorsuch (FindLaw's Supreme Court Blog)
- The Polls Aren't Kind to Kavanaugh, So? (FindLaw's Supreme Court Blog)