Tuesday, July 12, 2016

The Unethical RBG

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has gone public with quite negative comments about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. See a Slate article which discusses her statements and why she may have said them.

According to a Washington Post editorial, the Code of Conduct for United States Judges says a "judge should not . . . publicly endorse or oppose a candidate for public office." Her statements are a direct violation of judicial ethics.

The Ginsburg critique of Trump creates a conflict of interest for her - should he be elected - whenever the court is dealing with issues in which the executive branch is a party. I can only think she slammed Trump with the understanding that she intends to retire quite soon, perhaps immediately after the fall election or the January inauguration.

Perhaps she concluded she might as well use the remaining prestige of her office to do Trump harm, if possible. The House should begin impeachment proceedings against her as soon as they return from summer recess.