Supreme Court Justices Unethical Behavior
But our Supreme Court Justices ought to be beyond reproach. They are not elected, but appointed. They are in that position for life or till they determine to retire. They also must go out of their way to be unbiased and out of the reach of unique interest groups, individuals whose situations may well come just before the Supreme Court, and lobbyists.
We have all study about Jack Abramoff and how lobbying is accomplished in Washington. Trips, dinners, campaign funding, and other perks paid for by lobbyists in return for favors the politicians can do for their consumers.
But our Supreme Court Justices should be beyond reproach. They are not elected, but appointed. They are in that position for life or till they decide to retire. They also ought to go out of their way to be unbiased and out of the reach of special interest groups, individuals whose instances could come before the Supreme Court, and lobbyists.
While other Justices might stroll the line of impropriety, Justice Scalia proudly struts over the ethical line and is smug about it. Remember Leona Helmsly when arrested for income tax evasion? She mentioned “taxes are for the little individuals”, or some thing to that effect. Justice Scalia has a related attitude when questioned about his activities.
Not as well extended ago, the Supreme Court was hearing a situation that impacted the capacity for the Bush administration to hold prisoners indefinitely. Just just before the situation was to be heard, Justice Scalia went on a hunting trip with Dick Cheney that didn’t price Scalia a dime. When asked if that may well present a conflict of interest and that he really should possibly recuse himself from the situation, he named the notion ridiculous and stayed on the case. His vote favored the Bush Administration.
Yes, it may well have been in favor of them anyway. No, the trip might not have influenced him in any way. However the look of impropriety, unethical behavior, or conflict of interest is adequate to make going on that trip the wrong theng to do. And immediately after undertaking so, thumbing his nose at people who raised the question was also the incorrect point to do.
Now, all the justices had been at the swearing in of Justice Roberts, nicely all of them but Antonin Scalia. He was playing tennis and going fly fishing at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Bachelor Gulch, Colo, all on the dole. All paid for by the Federalists Society.
“I was out of town with a commitment that I could not break, and that is what the public info office told you,” he mentioned.
According to ABC News, A single evening at the resort, Scalia attended a cocktail reception, sponsored in portion by the identical lobbying and law firm where convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff when worked.
On a side note, Supreme Court Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has repeatedly mentioned that he has no memory of belonging to the Federalist Society, but his name seems in the influential, conservative legal organization’s 1997-1998 leadership directory.
Members of the Federalists Society stated they think the trip was ethical because they have no circumstances pending with the Supreme Court and are unlikely to have. Yes, as a group, but how several of it is members may have cases pending now or in the future?
From the “Why Join” page of the federalists society, “Interaction with prominent public officials, judges, and scholars”. So an individual with an agenda might be encouraged to join.
On the about us page it lists their goals as those that bring conservatism back into the judicial program and “In operating to attain these objectives, the Society has created a conservative and libertarian intellectual network that extends to all levels of the legal community.” Yes it does, evidently, all the way to the Supreme Court and Antonin Scalia.
Much more from their web site
“Founded in 1982, the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Research is a group of conservatives and libertarians devoted to reforming the current legal order.” Overall, the Society’s efforts are improving our present and future leaders’ understanding of the principles underlying American law.
It seems the Federalists Society is a conservative organization, even though they endorse no polictical celebration, and it in fact has no cases just before the Supreme Court and is unlikely to have as an organization. Even so, it really is membership includes over 35,000 lawyers and that makes it likely that some of their members have or will have circumstances pending ahead of the Supreme Court.
So as a lawyer, who presents circumstances to the Supreme Court, all I have to do is join this group and have access to Supreme Court Justices in intimate surroundings, where of course, I would never discuss a situation that was pending.
All I am saying here is that we as Americans have the right to anticipate a greater ethical standard from Supreme Court Justices. We certain can not get it from the legislative or executive branch of government, but we deserve it in the Judicial branch.
Accepting trips from groups with political and judicial agenda and gifts from private parties who may possibly at some point have company prior to the court must not be allowed.
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