Roberts and Miers linked to Microsoft Each played a role in past lawsuits
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
By TODD BISHOP
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Harriet Miers and John Roberts have something in common besides being President Bush's picks for the U.S. Supreme Court: As lawyers, both took part in cases related to Microsoft.
Miers, nominated Monday to the high court, represented the company in cases including class-action lawsuits in the 1990s that alleged defects in a version of the company's MS-DOS operating system. Miers headed up the team of lawyers defending the company in those cases.
Microsoft prevailed in each of the cases, with some failing to gain class certification and others dismissed voluntarily. Miers, most recently White House counsel, was practicing law in Texas at the time. She did not, however, take part in any antitrust cases involving Microsoft.
The same cannot be said of the nation's new chief justice. John Roberts, sworn in to that post Monday, was among the lawyers representing the 19 states that joined the federal government to pursue the landmark antitrust case.
In that role, Roberts was among the lawyers who argued on the government's behalf at a pivotal 2001 appeals court hearing on U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's order that would have broken the Redmond company in two. Arguing on behalf of the states, Roberts told the court that Microsoft wrongly used its influence and power to stifle consumer choice.
The order was ultimately overturned, and Microsoft remained intact. The company ultimately reached a settlement with the government in the case.
Microsoft declined a request for comment on either of them.
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P-I reporter Todd Bishop can be reached at 206-448-8221 or toddbishop@seattlepi.com.
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Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/243289_msftjustices04.html
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