Washington State Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders' seething revulsion with the lawlessness of the Bush administration apparently overcame his sense of public decorum. He was shocked and appalled by the indecorous hooting and hollering of conservative lawyers exhibiting virtual carnal delight in a speaker's recitation of assaults on the U.S. Constitution. Something like that.

Sanders leaped to his feet to denounce U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey as a tyrant. Et tu, Mikey? Mukasey subsequently suffered a case of the vapors and collapsed.

How Sanders got caught up in this randy den of legal iniquity is not clear. Maybe they wear really cool togas and laurel wreaths. The Federalist Society does have its fans. "The Federalist Society has made important contributions to our nation's understanding of our constitutional heritage," as the society's website quotes Vice President Richard Cheney. One can almost see his wink, wink; nudge, nudge.

The right to make a fool of oneself sounding like a Roman prig was clearly established in Merlo v. Pinot Gris. Both sides eventually sent a case to a higher court.