On Indictment Day…

By Don Varyu

by Don Varyu

April 4, 2023

…the most important thing that happened was not Donald Trump formally facing charges. Important? Of course. But it was only symbolic. We knew the charges were coming…this was just the ceremony. The same way that your high school graduation was symbolic. Meaningful…but mainly signifying your survival skills after spending four years surrounded by other hormonal teenagers.

Coverage of the Trump court appearance was pure personality pornography. News networks, whether gloating or grim, all drafting off of Trump’s ratings appeal.

And lost in that wall-to-wall reality show, back in D.C., was something far more vital. A group of Senate Democrats was vowing to present a measure that would require the U.S. Supreme Court to adopt a clear standards of ethics and a meaningful posture of transparency—or the Court’s Congressional funding might be jeopardized. This sounds like the kind of hardball tactic you’d expect from a DeSantis or Abbott. But this is necessary because something much higher is at stake.

Trump has spent years whining that his title of President made him immune from any form of prosecution; justice coming after him would be the same as shredding the Constitution (or, I would say it would be more like sending storm troopers to break into the Capitol to prevent the certified winner from actually winning).

Defenders of the right-wing terrorists on the high court then trotted out the same argument that Trump does. You see, these nine judges are better—they’re different from every other federal judge in America, each of whom is subject to an ethics code. Several have been removed for violating it. But no such code exists for the Supreme Court. Like Trump, they consider themselves beyond reproach. They won’t be bothered with silly concepts which apply only to lesser mortals. Like Trump, they can’t be bothered. Go away.

GOP critics then charged that the without full funding, the safety of the SCOTUS justices could be jeopardized, because they might have to look out their windows at home and see people on the street protesting. Imagine! That would certainly be more ghastly than assuring the safety of Capital police on January 6th trying to protect democracy…or the kids who faced their demise in the face of automatic weapons fire at Columbine or Sandy Hook or Nashville.

Lesser Americans should follow rules and deal with reality.

Trump and the Supreme Court are above all that…
 
 

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