The memo — issued by the director of legal services of a law firm that helps justice members fill out their forms — explains that judges can ask to redact their position with a homeowners association, reimburse travel expenses, enter into an apprenticeship contract or an agreement with a law firm because it “indicates your presence in an unsecured location” or “could pose a risk to security.” Even a club membership or lakeside cottage might require redactions for safety reasons, according to the POLITICO memo obtained from Fix the Court and independently confirming its authenticity. In response to broader questions about judges` disclosures, the court spokesperson also cited the federal law on judicial rejections, pointing to a nearly three-decade-old statement in which judges with spouses or other close relatives in the legal profession rejected the idea of dismissing a case simply because such a relative works at a company involved in litigation. The wives of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a background in BigLaw, although they pursued other careers. Roberts` wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, was a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman and is now a legal recruiter. The late Martin Ginsburg was a professor of law and associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson. “We recruited them to help our firm recruit in-house counsel,” he said. “I think some of us realized that there was a better place for her, which was to recruit partners for law firms, because that`s where she was where her husband was, and then she knew a lot of very important people in the legal landscape in Washington, D.C., and it was kind of a waste not to really enjoy it.” Jungers said Jane Roberts quickly proved to be very effective in her work, and he found that almost anyone in the legal world would take her calls. The couple`s high-profile social scene is filled with “pretty closed” Washington, D.C., events, with lawyers mingling with exclusive events such as wine drinking groups, book clubs or poker games, Jungers noted.
But a POLITICO investigation shows that potential conflicts with judges` spouses go beyond Thomas. Chief Justice John Roberts` wife, Jane Roberts, has received far less attention. But she is a legal headhunter at the Macrae law firm, representing high-profile lawyers in their efforts to secure positions at wealthy companies, usually for a percentage of the first year`s salary she gets for her clients. A single investment by a star lawyer can earn the firm $500,000 or more. Major Washington law firms were reluctant to hire O`Connor because of concerns about potential conflicts of interest and how his general corporate practice would fit into the influential district`s legal scene, according to Sandra Day O`Connor`s biography of Evan Thomas` “First.” Chief Justice John Roberts` wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, was a partner in Pillsbury when her husband was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Washington Circuit. She now works as a legal recruiter. However, by Barrett`s accepted standard, a judge does not have to reject if the law firm agrees to permanently exclude income from litigation before the Supreme Court from that spouse`s shares. Former right-wing leader Rob Schenck said the organization he led for more than 20 years, Faith and Action, embarked on an elaborate plan to exploit judges` financial uncertainties by recruiting wealthy couples to “drink and dine” conservative members of the court. The couples were selected for their support of a right-wing religious political agenda and coached in advance to make the judges feel more confident in supporting a faith-based legal agenda.
Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University, one of the nation`s leading experts on legal ethics, said shortcomings in disclosure by clients of judges` spouses were fueling public doubt. Mark Jungers, former managing partner of Major, Lindsey & Africa, the firm that employed Jane Roberts as a legal recruiter before moving to Macrae, told POLITICO that the firm hired her in the hope that she would benefit from being the chief justice`s wife, in part because “her network is her network and vice versa.” Here`s what you need to know about Jesse M.