"I understand that during her career, [Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has] written hundreds and hundreds of opinions." [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday. "I haven't read a single one of them, and if I'm fortunate before we end this, I won't have to read one of them." RTTNews quotes this gaffe here.

I have supervised a lot of attorneys over the years. I've read a lot of research memos and draft briefs telling me what an opinion says. No matter how good the researcher is, there is no substitute for reading the opinion yourself.