Time to clean up the Supreme Court
As three justices ignore possible conflicts of interest, Congress needs to act
http://www.salon.com/2011/11/01/time_to_clean_up_the_supreme_court/singleton/
Most of the stuff I read at Salon appears to be objective, though there is a clear progressive slant. It is curious, though, that this article only mentions possible (highly likely in my mind, I don’t want to take away from the article) conflicts of interest with conservative justices. While there are justices that appear to work diligently to keep themselves from controversy, I find it hard to believe that the liberal justices have never done anything that ought be called into question. Granted Kagan hasn’t been around that long (and did recuse herself from many initial cases), but she seems quite ripe for conflicts of interest (based on what I know about Sotomayor she seems practiced in at least providing the illusion of no conflicts). Surely, at least in the guise of objectivity, couldn’t the author at least mention some potential conflicts with the more liberal members?
Having said that, the content of the article, particularly wrt Thomas, seems quite damning and clearly fertile ground for conflicts of interest (actual as well as impressioned). I believe that anyone who is above the law is wrong and the wrong increases geometrically as the power of the individual increases. I believe people in powerful positions must be held to higher standards (and subject to stricter punishments!), not the other way around as is so prevalent in our oligarchy.
