Originally published at: The only shocking thing about Clarence Thomas' corruption is how little we're doing about it | Boing Boing
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Of course the lethally tedious point is: what can be done about it? So much of the highest levels in u.s. government depend on ‘standards and traditions’ there are truck sized gaps which can be driven through by those who rise to these offices and don’t really care one whit about democracy or anyone but themselves, (trump showed us that in technicolor; well orange mostly). Two party system plus separation of powers divided by no real judicial oversight and here we are.
So yes the court ought to expanded, basic ethical rules imposed, and with some sort of age limits, but: republicans who have methodically engineered the likes of clarence thomas and friends hold contravening power in congress. Ipso-facto-quod-erat-@#$ we’re screwed for the foreseeable. dammit. [insert political cartoon with certain supreme court judges’ robes utterly covered in brand advertising patches]
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What about term limits for Supreme Court justices? Most (all?) other democracies have them. Even if limited to 2 decades, hypothetically, would be better than the life appointments we have now. Stagger the expirations so that only one falls every 4-year presidential term…
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Apparently, lifetime appointment is per U.S. Constitution Article III. Section 1 of that article reads: “The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.”
The clause “during good Behaviour” catches my eye…Can’t the lack of “good Behaviour” by Justice Thomas be cited for his removal???
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Not shocking at all. Maybe pre-Trump it would’ve been, but doing nothing about known corruption in politics is pretty much par for the course in America today.
Impeach him!
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yeah, they can technically be impeached although i don’t think it’s ever happened.
the more likely thing i think is - if democrats can get enough seats in the senate to bypass the filibuster they can expand the court.
tying the number justices to the number of circuit courts ( 13, i think ) would dilute the conservative fascist voices
( eta: it’s clear they’re no longer conservative, happy as they are to throw out long standing precedent and to curtail people’s civil liberties )
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Samuel Chase was impeached, but acquitted,
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It is my (now not so secret) hope that Biden is keeping his powder dry regarding the court (he’s been pretty mum about it) until winning re-election, and then will pull an FDR and pressure Roberts to right the ship.
I feel like (to be clear: there’s no factual basis to this) Biden recognizes that taking the fight to the court while things are so tenuous in our politics will ignite the more “moderate” R’s to vote no matter what instead of staying home to reject fascism.
Perhaps this is a fool’s hope; consider the source.
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For context, at the German supreme court justices can only serve a single term of 12 years. There’s also an upper age limit of 68 years.
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It’s past time to RICO the bastards in not just in the SCOTUS, but also the likes of the Federalist Society, and their financiers & enablers.
For starters.
This has been self-evident for decades. No, and no.
If Biden is re-elected, and if adequate control of Congress is gained, then maybe Something Will Be Done. Not counting on it, though.
Otherwise, the steady regression of this country by legal means will continue.
History says some pretty bleak things about our democracy.
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