““Many former clerks explained that others—although rarely directly admitting it was themselves—were intimidated by Friendly. Whether or not Friendly intended it, intimidation was certainly present in varying degrees. One clerk stated that the common denominator of all visits to Friendly’s office was fear coupled with anxiety.42 Deadpan, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. gave a specific example of this phenomenon. After explaining that he was not among those intimidated by Friendly, he shared that one time after Friendly buzzed him into his office he complained that everything was darker than usual and that some of the lights must have been out. Roberts could not bring himself to tell the judge that he was still wearing his clip-on sunglasses. He told Friendly’s secretary after he left his office.””
