Process Server Visits Chief Justice John Roberts to Deliver Summons

It's not every day that a process server's job takes him to the home of the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

But the unusual assignment to serve Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. just over a week ago went very smoothly, Daniel Portnoy tells the Blog of Legal Times.

A simple knock brought Roberts himself to the front door, and the nation's top judge could not have been more gracious, recounts Portnoy, the owner of D.C. Legal Process. He was serving Roberts at his Chevy Chase, Md., home with a copy of a federal district court lawsuit brought by atheist Michael Newdow because the action names Roberts personally as a defendant, according to the BLT.

“I made a joke that this was going in my memoirs,” Portnoy tells the law blog, describing Roberts as "definitely a gentleman."

Newdow's suit challenged president-elect Barack Obama's plan to use the words “so help me God” when he takes the oath of office next week.

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