She uses the words “I” and “my” so many times in her essay that we can only infer that she must be astonishingly important. It will be a wonder if the Supreme Court can carry on without her.

Actually, it is obvious that she suffers from—if we can modify Mortimer—reporteritis, a disease characterized by “pomposity and self-regard” and the habit of giving pen “to private thoughts far, far better left” unwritten. The main symptom is readily apparent: Those who report on important events come to feel that they themselves are important. It is a sad thing to see and there is no cure.

By the way, did you know she went to—trumpets please—Yale? She might have forgotten to mention her ties to that institution more than half a dozen times.