What he said: If I were to start telling you which are my favorite precedents or which are my least favorite precedents, or if I viewed precedent in that fashion, I would be tipping my hand and suggesting to litigants that I have already made up my mind about their cases.
What he was thinking when he said it: And the fact is, I have already made up my mind about their cases, and since I want this lifetime cushy job, I'm going to pretend that such a stance is abhorrent to me, when in fact, it is exactly how I'm going to act, you dumbass motherfuckers!