Supreme Court Justices Should Live Like Monks

Duncan Black makes a good point. Perhaps the press missed a significant story when Supreme Court Justice died unexpectedly in February 2016 at the Cibolo Creek Ranch resort near Marfa, Texas. And, no, I’m not referring to speculation that he may have been murdered, although in the future perhaps an autopsy might put questions to rest. It was just weird that Scalia was there at all. Rich people appear to enjoy hosting prominent Republicans for Texas quail shooting adventures, but it often doesn’t end well. As for conservative Supreme Court Justices, the details of Scalia’s last days were a canary on a coal mine that went unheeded.

A reasonable question to ask is why, after Scalia died and the circumstances were known, journalists didn’t follow that obvious trail. Are all these people just living large on the dime of rich people? Should people know about this?

I suspect that when Tony croaked at the rich weirdo’s hunting lodge, there was much panic, and I would be very surprised if some highly placed editors were not talked down from digging a bit more.

I do think it is sinking in now, generally, that these people were not covered as they should have been covered, with never any hint at the possibility of corruption.

It is not sinking in, generally, that their behavior has made everything they do completely illegitimate.

No one is forcing these Justices to accept and serve lifetime appointments on a government salary. If it’s a sacrifice, it’s one that is compensated by power, influence, and a guarantee that your career will be studied in every law school in the country in perpetuity. It’s not supposed to be an opportunity to get rich off the generosity of people who have a significant interest in how you decide cases. It’s not supposed to afford you free travel, luxury hunting trips, and cozy real estate bonanzas.

Do I expect Supreme Court Justices to live like monks?

Yeah, I actually do. When they get sick of living like monks, they can retire.