Democrats sitting on the Senate Judiciary Committee released their report on what they called an "ethics crisis" at the U.S. Supreme Court over the weekend, which they said was based on a 20-month study.
But when stripped to its essentials, the report:
- Didn’t reveal any actual ethics violations of the current court;
- Ignored the fact that the judiciary is an independent, co-equal branch of government; and,
- Ignored Congress’ own ethics crisis.
In the end, Senate Democrats simply voiced their own frustrations at a court that is no longer controlled by liberals.
Although the report lists ethical violations committed by previous members of the federal judiciary (such as the late Alcee Hastings, who was later impeached, then elected to Congress), it fails to allege one committed by a current high court member.
The bulk of the report was dedicated to critiquing the current Supreme Court.
It tried to appear unbiased by referring to alleged offenses committed by several liberal justices such as Sonia Sotomayor and the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
But it was clear who their real targets were: The high court’s most reliably conservative voices — Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
The report was mainly focused on justices who received gifts from wealthy donors, or invited on trips aboard private yachts and jets, and vacations at private lodges and resorts. But there’s nothing in that, in and of itself, that’s unethical.
Court members can have wealthy friends and admirers just like anyone else.
The only time that would become an issue is if a justice ruled on a case involving a friend or donor, and although Senate Democrats tried to make that claim, in the end they failed.
They also failed to recognize that the judicial branch is a separate, independent and co-equal branch of the federal government.
As such Congress can’t force its version of a code of ethics on the court, just as the court can’t force the same upon Congress.
And as far as that goes, Congress has its own ethical mess it should work on resolving before it starts pointing fingers elsewhere.
Respondents who were surveyed in a Gallup poll conducted last month gave Congress a 19% approval rating, versus a 74% disapproval rating.
This is a total flip of the same poll conducted in January of 2000, where Congress enjoyed a 70% approval rating, versus 16% disapproval.
And it’s no wonder.
This year Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was indicted on bribery and money laundering charges. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., was found guilty of all charges of accepting foreign bribes, including cash and gold bars.
Other members of Congress that allegedly include Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif,. are getting wealthy by making stock market trades based on insider information they’ve received from their government positions.
Also, in recent years sexual harassment claims between members of Congress and staffers have escalated. A federal "slush fund" has paid out $18.2 million to settle 291 cases of such workplace disputes since 1997, with the names of the abusers kept secret.
But when push comes to shove, Senate Democrats’ actual complaint has nothing to do with judicial ethics — it’s about the ideological make-up of the Supreme Court.
If this were the Supreme Court of 15 years ago, you wouldn’t hear a poop from Senate Democrats. But Donald Trump changed all that in his first presidential term by elevating three jurists to the high court.
Since then Roe vs. Wade was struck down, sending the issue of abortion to the states.
Affirmative action for college admission practices was also struck down, and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is now on firmer ground.
Property rights have also been enhanced, and it looks as though the court will approve the rights of the states to ban transgender treatments for minor children when it rules on US v. Skrmetti next summer.
Congressional Democrats despise these rulings and claim that it’s the result of a 6-3 conservative-heavy court. But it’s actually the most balanced court we’ve seen in memory.
Three members are generally strong conservatives: Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch.
Three are reliably liberal: Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The final three are swing votes: Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
But Democrats don’t much care for fair or balanced. They want it all, and their ethics violation claims are balderdash designed to smear the court.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.