Shove it…

| 7:00 pm EDT July 4, 2023
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Chief Justice John Roberts is scolding the American people for questioning the integrity of his court. According to Roberts, complaints about a lack of ethics and transparency are just sour grapes over a few unpopular decisions. But he has failed pathetically at the primary job of Chief Justice – preserving public trust in the judicial branch.

Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito each accepted lavish vacations and other expensive gifts from wealthy supplicants who subsequently received favorable rulings from their court. John Roberts chose not to disclose his wife’s lucrative finders’ fees as a legal recruiter.

Thomas claims he sought the advice of unnamed “colleagues” before deciding not to disclose cozy real estate deals and lush vacations. Just seeking such advice proves he knew these gifts would create the appearance of impropriety. Wouldn’t it have been easier to list a few names and dates on a mandatory disclosure form and not risk running afoul of federal law?

Alito was so convinced of how poorly his behavior would reflect on the court that he penned a preemptive editorial. If you have to write an editorial to excuse your conduct, maybe don’t lecture us about how it didn’t undermine public confidence in your impartiality. (I wonder if Alito will disclose the gift of the WSJ editorial on next year’s form?)

What would full disclosure have cost these three? Nothing except the cover of darkness over their cozy relationship with wealthy benefactors. Why even consider hiding these gifts except to protect their influence peddling grift? And why can’t these “justices” even comprehend that this is a glaring ethical failure on their part?

Thomas, Alito, and Roberts went looking for excuses to avoid transparency. John Roberts is embarrassingly unqualified to restore public faith in his court. Congress and President Biden must do it for him.