It’s sunny and cool, a Monday and the first day of July, which is hard to believe, and this morning many of us are contemplating what appears to be the complete corruption of the so-called “conservatives” of the Court.
Whatever they’re “conserving,” it’s not democracy. Or the planet. Or the Constitution.
Anyway, I say corruption because it sure seems like this term’s decisions also happen to meet the interests of the same people and groups who showered money and luxury items on the “conservative” justices.
Justice Kagan turned down bagels, but whatever.
But not to worry, the “conservatives” themselves said it’s not really corruption if you get the money AFTER you’ve done the job. A “gratuity.”
I’m going out on a limb and say they didn’t even meet that standard with these cases but I guess it doesn’t matter.
The conservatives act as though they are anointed, not appointed, and whatever our way out of it, including criminal prosecution if appropriate for corruption, impeachment and removal, and/or expansion of the Court, either this continues our our Constitutional democracy continues but not both.
I recently heard a different proposal for expansion I find intriguing. Instead of one Justice per circuit, with a total of 13, this expansion would change the functionality of SCOTUS to more of that of an appellate court, with as many as 3 Justices per circuit (plus one more, presumably for any split decisions).
The Court would would work more efficiently, with exponentially more cases heard; a random panel of judges is not immune from political sway but it would definitely be more even-keeled than six individuals making it up as the people who pay them “tips” go along.
It would most certainly also require a comprehensive code of ethics, which we’ve learned in very recent years is beyond necessary because the conservatives themselves don’t think so.
It may prove impossible to create an exploitation-proof system, because people, particularly the ones who call themselves “conservative,” are horrible, selfish, greedy creatures, but we could certainly dilute the impact.
Yes, it’s a major overhaul, and no one likes those, but if Congress can rewrite the tax code to give rich people tax breaks for private jet fuel (yes, really, it’s in the ironically-titled Tax Cuts & Jobs Act) while sneaking in tax increases for regular people to sorta kinda pay for it, anything can be revamped.
The single catch is we have to elect Democrats up and down the ballot, because if we don’t, everything, and I mean everything, will only get worse.
Have a great Monday and let’s get people out to vote.
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