A Bloomberg Law article on retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s return to the bench on the First Circuit featured comments from Thompson Coburn senior counsel Jonathan Benner, who represented parties in a case before the court.
Breyer and his fellow First Circuit judges heard cases Jan. 8 on a defendant’s conviction for assaulting a police officer, a bankruptcy, and a Maine town’s attempt to limit cruise ship passengers. Benner represented parties in the cruise ship case.
According to the Bloomberg Law article, Breyer showed up “as an active questioner after a more than two-year-long hiatus since he stepped down from the high court” and “was a commanding but humble voice on the panel.”
Benner told Bloomberg it wasn’t his first time appearing before Breyer, having also argued at the Supreme Court.
“When I saw that he was going to be on the panel I was thrilled,” he said. “He’s a gentleman. He’s smarter than all the lawyers. And he asks pointed questions that are well grounded in the record.”
The full article can be found here (subscription required).
