Legal Blogger Unmasked

Federal Prosecutor Says He's Author Of 'Underneath Their Robes'

(AP)  The author of a sassy blog about the federal judiciary, "Underneath Their Robes," is no longer cloaked in mystery, and it turns out it's a federal prosecutor.

The writer of the Web log, which had humorous references to judges as "hotties" and "babes," purported to be a young, female lawyer who worked in San Francisco. But in an interview with The New Yorker magazine published this week the author identified himself as Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lat of Newark.

The blog was taken off line Monday in a "mutually agreed upon decision," The Record of Bergen County reported Wednesday, citing an unidentified source. The site appeared to require a password to access it Wednesday.

Lat, one of about 100 prosecutors working under U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie, was still employed there Tuesday, office spokesman Michael Drewniak told the newspaper. He declined to comment further.

Messages left Wednesday for Lat and Drewniak were not immediately returned.

The blog contained sightings of different judges, including Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito Jr. going to a Newark restaurant. It also had lists of "super hotties" and named "Sporty, Spicy Judges," such as Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who threw out the first pitch before a Chicago Cubs game.

Two female judges, Kimba Wood and Kim McLane Wardlaw, were described as "babes" in one recent posting.

The blog was written under the pen name of Article Three Groupie, or A3G. Article III is the section of the Constitution dealing with the judiciary.