As I have said before, I don't blog about politics but I do sometimes blog about history and with that disclaimer and against the background of the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, I offer this link to an article by Professor John Barrett of St. Johns University Law School who reminds us that there have been times when the office of Attorney General was actually held in high esteem by its occupants.
Justice Robert H. Jackson is one of my personal legal heroes. He epitomized professionalism in his practice and in every office he ever held. It is therefore not at all surprising that, following his nomination by FDR to a seat on the Supreme Court, he immediately took steps to avoid any appearance of impropriety by turning over day-to-day operations of the Justice Department to the Solicitor General, Francis Biddle. What is surprising, as Professor Barrett notes, is that after taking the oath of office as an Associate Justice, he realized that he had forgotten to resign as Attorney General and therefore briefly held both offices simultaneously.
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