Growing up, I was taught about the three branches of our government. (Legislative, judicial and executive for those of you who slept through civics class.) Of all three, the one that stood out as most untouchable, pure and high minded was the Supreme Court. We were taught that because an appointment to the Court was for a lifetime, it removed all chances to sway its decisions. This is because they supposedly had nothing to be swayed by. They had a job for life no matter what they decided on any given case. The idea that exclusive vacations, private jets and god knows what else could sway one of them was scoffed at. They were not only the Supremes, they were the untouchable Supremes. We viewed them as honorable, honest and upright legal minds that only had America’s best interest at heart. Apparently we were fooled – big time.
Integrity and honor certainly do not describe the current Supremes, not by a long shot. The Court now has Justices sitting on it who lied during their job interviews. They lied under oath. They said Roe v Wade was settled law and they would not change it. They not only lied, they did so publicly in a format that allows us to go back and hear them lie again and again. Their names are Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
But apparently once you get on the Supreme Court, how you got there becomes moot even if you lied your way in because you’ve got that appointment for life. What a great lesson for the kids in their civics class.
The Court also has a Justice who has sat in almost total silence for his entire time on the Bench and for many of us, that has seemed like a very, very long time. Given what we have recently learned about Justice Clarence Thomas’ friends and vacations, I can only assume he is so quiet because he is exhausted by all the trips he’s taken. And he’s probably busy digesting all that rich food he’s eaten. His interest seems to be more involved with the latest exclusive vacation his rich friends can give him than in providing us with fair and well thought out legal statements on whatever is currently before the Court.
Clarence Thomas is a joke. His wife is as bad if not worse than him. But at least she never took an oath of office to protect and defend our Constitution. Thank god. Because if she did, she’d be a major liar, liar, pants on fire. Unfortunately, as a couple, they are a joke that harms our country and has most definitely harmed the Supreme Court.
I’m guessing I’m not the only one who grew up being taught the Court was pure and untouchable and who knows now that liars and one very sleazy Justice sits untouchable on that Court. And that sleazy Justice actually has the gall to rule on cases involving the very people who are plying him and his wife with free stuff.
Perhaps most distressing of all is Chief Justice John Roberts who told Congress it had no right to try and pass an ethics bill for the Court. He apparently thinks the current ethics standards are all they need. He seems to be unaware that those standards would get a judge kicked off traffic court if they were applied there.
So we have people who lie to Congress to get on the Supreme Court. We have a Justice who lives way beyond his means thanks to rich people in whose favor he tends to rule. And we have a Supreme Court Chief Justice who finds this all acceptable and wants no outside interference. Wow. I mean, just WOW. And that’s just the stuff we know about. God knows what Pro Publica will find if it keeps digging. Maybe there are some other Justices doing sleazy things. We’ll never know based on the standards Chief Justice Roberts seems to believe in.
In my lifetime I have watched the Supreme Court go from being trusted, dignified and above corruption to one of the biggest jokes in our government now that the Orange is no longer our president. Wow.