The recommendation package for that post was being finalized the next morning.
My father did not call to demand a favor or issue a threat.
He called the administrative head of the judicial appointments committee, formally recused himself from any matter involving Thomas Whitmore, and disclosed that he had personally
witnessed conduct raising serious concerns about Thomas’s character and fitness for a role requiring judgment, integrity, and public trust.
He also provided the names of witnesses present, including Jonathan Mercer.
That was enough.
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Within an hour, Thomas’s name was frozen on the shortlist pending review.
Jonathan, who had no intention of letting his own reputation sink with Thomas’s, submitted a written statement to the committee and to the firm’s ethics partner before sunrise.
By the end of the day, Thomas’s promotion interview had been canceled.
By the end of the week, he had been placed on leave.
