I find this story fascinating. So many people bought it without any confirmation.
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/2go... 2GOOD2BTrue
by digby
In case you were wondering about that Justice Roberts resignation rumor, here's what apparently happened:
Here’s an account of what went down in Professor Peter Tague’s criminal law class this morning, from a 1L at Georgetown Law:
Today’s class was partially on the validity of informants not explaining their sources.
started off class at around 9 am EST by telling us not to tell anyone, but that we might find it interesting that tomorrow, Roberts would be announcing his retirement for health concerns. He refused to tell anyone how he knew. Then, at around 9:30, he let everyone in on the joke.
Note the timestamps on the Radar posts. The first one came out at 6:10 a.m., i.e., the Pacific Time equivalent of 9:10 a.m. Eastern time. The retraction came out at 6:36 a.m., i.e., the Pacific Time equivalent of 9:36 a.m. Eastern — shortly after Professor Tague let his class in on the joke.
A second Georgetown Law student confirms this account:
...
By then the horse was out of the barn — and running at a gallop:
Between the hour when the class began and when he revealed that he made it up, plenty of students txted and IM’ed their friends and family…. there’s a very good chance that the Roberts rumor that spread like wildfire on the internet was sparked by an eccentric law professor trying to make a point.
I'd say he made it.
Not that I haven't fallen for a few of these in my time. It's an occupational hazard. But if this one had been true, it would definitely have been worth waiting for.
