Dwain Northey (Gen X)

There is one branch of our government that since its inception has been placed in a position of having the moral high ground and thusly has no checks or balances on their individual behavior. I don’t know about anyone else but that doesn’t seem to fit into a system that espouses equal treatment for all.

The U.S. Supreme Court has been under scrutiny lately because of flagrant ethics violations, namely Justice Clarance Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito. These or two of nine individuals that are supposed to possess such high ethical and moral standards that they are beyond reproach, yet both have been caught excepting sizable gifts from influential people that have cases before the court. Gifts like private flights and luxury vacations that they are supposed to report but conveniently haven’t. Other Jurist won’t even except a bagel and coffee being graciously given to them for the fear that it would appear as some how influencing their decisions.

Chief Justice John Roberts has had the Supremes come up with their own code of ethics, isn’t that precious it like having your toddler write their own rules. The even more ridiculous part of the ethics rules they are putting forth is that they alone have the authority to enforce those self-governing rules. Only they have the power and authority to investigate and enforce the words they have so judiciously written on worthless parchment. Below is a link to their Ethic Policy.

https://www.uscourts.gov/rules-policies/judiciary-policies/ethics-policies

I have to assume that these rules will only be enforced if Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson are accused of impropriety because we know the other 6 are all floating in the same luxury watercraft.

My other issue with the current court is the number of Justices currently there are 9 Justices and the last time that number changed was 1869 if you don’t count the 10 months that Mitch McConnel single handedly reduce the court to 8 by disallowing President Obama a court seat after the death of Justice Antonin Gregory Scalia in February of 2016 claiming that it was an election year. It is crazy that the same rule didn’t apply when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg past in September of 2020.

The republicans are crying that the democrats want to pack the court when that is exactly what they have done. The democrats, at least some of us, want to expand the court to equitably coincide with the number of Judicial Districts that we currently have which is 13. That would seem to make sense that way each Supreme has an applet district that they preside over. My other gripe is why are the Supreme Court appointments lifetime appointments. I know that is how the constitution has it set up but back in 1789 the life expectancy was 57 years. RBG was 87 when she died thirty years older than the average life expectancy when the Constitution was signed.

Don’t start with Biden in 81 years old… I know there should be an age cap there as well but remember that the orange Cheeto is 78. Yes, Joe fell off his bike and got right back up, don’t know that Donny could, or even knows how to, ride a bike.

My point here is that the Supreme Court is writing its own rules, under duress, and they will also be the only ones that can hold themselves to those ‘rules’. Great what’s next Republicans are allowed to jerrymander districts and only count the votes they want to count… oh shit that already happening.

Thanks again for putting up with my ranting.