Several of the super PAC knockoffs were inspired by comedian Stephen Colbert, who created a buzz last year when he founded the Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow super PAC to mock the Supreme Court's decision and what Mr. Colbert contends is its invitation for big money to play an even bigger role in politics.
In 1983, Fred Fielding, the White House counsel, asked Roberts to evaluate a proposal then in circulation to create a kind of super appeals court to assist the Supreme Court with its ostensibly pressing workload.