Congress Needs to Show Samuel Alito and the Supreme Court Who’s Boss
Justice Samuel Alito is making plain his view that the U.S. Supreme Court is not just the highest court in the land but the highest branch of government.
In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Alito asserted that Congress lacks the authority to impose an ethics code on the Supreme Court, saying, “No provision in the Constitution gives the authority to regulate the Supreme Court—period.”
Ironically, the very circumstances of Alito’s interview demonstrate the high court’s rudderless system of self-guided ethics navigation. The interview was conducted by attorney David Rivkin, Jr., and Wall Street Journal editor James Taranto. Rivkin represents conservative billionaire donor Leonard Leo, who is the subject of Congressional inquiries into his involvement with Supreme Court justices. Rivkin also represents a party with a current case pending before SCOTUS.