Justice Elena Kagan is trying to shake things up on the court.
Kagan recently discussed the ethics situation on the court, and after her comments, I would imagine the attacks against Justice Thomas are only going to grow.
The liberal justice stated that she would support an enforceable code of conduct for the court.
We Like Rules
Democrats have made quite the fuss over trips and gifts that Justice Thomas received from a “friend.”
Thomas did not initially report the freebies because he did not feel as though they fell under the guidelines of what needed to be reported.
Meanwhile, these other justices are traveling the world on someone else’s dime, including Kagan, who had more trip reimbursements than just about every other member of the court.
I always go back to that trip that RBG took that was paid for by a donor who had a case before the court where he benefitted from the decision, then picked up the check for RBG.
On the idea of a new code of conduct with a body that could enforce it, she stated, “It seems like a good idea in terms of ensuring that we comply with our own code of conduct going forward in the future.
“It seems like a good idea in terms of ensuring that people have confidence that we’re doing exactly that.
“So, it seems like a salutary thing for the court.”
If I were the one setting the rules, these justices would not be able to earn any outside income over and above teaching, and that only because I believe it benefits the next generation of legal minds to have access to these justices.
Books, outside speaking engagements, and free trips all seem like ways to corrupt the court.
Pay the justices more if you must, but cut out any temptation at all to ensure they only worry about enforcing the law and stop being activists.
