Good morning, Netizens...

As some may know, there are two Oaths of Office when swearing in a Federal Court Justice. The second, which most of us have seen already, was administered by Chief Justice John Roberts in an ornate conference room, beneath a portrait of the legendary Chief Justice John Marshall. Her left hand resting on a Bible that was held by her mother, Celina, Sotomayor pledged to "do equal right to the poor and to the rich."

The first, which took place in a private conference room witnessed by guests and assorted dignitaries with the TV cameras absent.

The oath that Sotomayor took in private is prescribed by the Constitution and required of all federal officials. The second oath, taken in front of a television audience, is spelled out in the 220-year-old federal law that established the federal court system, although this was the first time TV cameras were allowed to witness the event.

Rumor has it the reason for this was so all of America could see their fingers were uncrossed behind their backs and for the really ancient viewers, so that the public could see none of the members of the nation's highest court were still wearing their Captain Midnight Secret Decoder Rings.

Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code-O-Graph

It is said you are truly ancient if you can remember Captain Midnight, or still happen to have one of the original secret decoder rings, but that is a fraction of the age of the Supreme Court.

Yours for history's sake...

Dave

---

---