Briefs

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer the comedian? We’re guessing that his Walter Mitty fantasy is just that. As his wife Dr. Joanna Breyer so aptly put it when introducing her husband at the 25th Anniversary of IFE (Institute for Education) at the home of Ambassador Esther Coopersmith: “This is the first time I’ve ever done this. I assure you it is going to be very short. He is wonderful. He is funny. He is a committed teacher to such wonderful, esoteric subjects as economic regulation and its reform and administrative law. Luckily he’s going to spare you that and he will actually be talking about something to which he’s even more committed which is international cooperation and how everybody, all the countries, can learn from each other and how law can be a vehicle for that.”

“I go into my office and there I have a stack like this of briefs. They are not brief. I don’t know why they call them briefs,” said Breyer while trying to explain what he does all day. “I find the answer in probably down two-thirds in the pile.”

Breyer shared the stage with Megan Smith, US Chief Technology Officer and Dr. Susan Blumenthal. Guests included Judge William Webster and a slew of diplomats.