To hear Supreme Court justices tell it, they want to be seen as credible and fair arbiters of constitutional law, not political actors. In September 2021, for example, Justice Amy Coney Barrett tried to defend the institution’s impartiality — while speaking alongside Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who rushed her onto the bench during the 2020 presidential election as part of a brazenly political display.
“My goal today is to convince you that this court is not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks,” the conservative justice said at the time.
That “goal” is increasingly out of reach.
The tarnishing of the Supreme Court — its credibility, its integrity, and its reputation — has unfolded episodically over the course of several years. When far-right justices issue reactionary, far-right rulings, the problem gets worse. When far-right justices get caught up in indefensible ethics controversies, the problem gets worse. When far-right justices deliver political speeches, the problem gets worse.
And when those same far-right justices deliver Donald Trump an unjustifiable gift, the problem gets even worse. My MSNBC colleague Jordan Rubin explained:
The Supreme Court has decided to review Donald Trump’s far-fetched immunity claim, a move that will at least further delay the former president’s federal election interference case from going to trial. The justices will hear oral arguments the week of April 22.
The specific question that the justices will consider, according to the written order, is “whether and if so to what extent does a former President enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office.”
At first blush, this might seem entirely anodyne. A former president, confronted with serious allegations, has presented a provocative legal defense. That argument has been working its way through the courts, and it will now be resolved once and for all by the Supreme…
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