VOLuntarilyConservative

A warning to my fellow bloggers - there are real consequences to having a blog. No, I am not writing about just having your name attached to your opinions. Jason Nemes, a 27-year-old Louisville law grad, was recently selected by the Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court, Joseph Lambert, as the Chief Justice's new chief of staff and general counsel. Oh, and Jason had a blog as a law student, Sixth Circuit Law, that supported his personal conservative viewpoints. With a little digging, I have found that the blog (which is currently retired) initially focused on the decisions of the 6th Circuit but later expanded to other issues. There should be little said about these facts, except that Jason should be commended for keeping his personal convictions intact through the liberal hazing that is law school.

However, the Lexington Herald-Leader (which I can attest as being one of the South's most liberal newspapers from my exposure to their product during the summer of 2001) decided to introduce Jason's blog as evidence that he should not be advising the Chief Justice. First, there was a slanted story in Thursday's print edition. That was followed by some not-so-subtle jabs in the paper's "Editorial Notebook" section. Several other outlets in the Commonwealth picked up the story, making Jason one of the most known chiefs of staff in the South - and all at the age of 27.

Several other bloggers have commented on the story, including Doug Petch, How Appealing, and Feministe. I hope that Jason isn't discouraged by all of this. He sounds like a kindred spirit - lawyer, spent time on Capitol Hill, conservative, mid-20's, perplexed by the Sixth Circuit, had the gumption to (politely) question the decision-making process of a sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justice (his was Ginsburg, mine O'Connor) to her face. Now, if I just had that salary of his...