Donald Trump isn't the only right-wing fascist who believes he is above the law, and the difference is Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is already in power, and will be for the rest of his life.
Justice Samuel Alito said Congress has “no authority” to regulate the Supreme Court in an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s opinion section published Friday, pushing back against Democrats’ attempt to mandate stronger ethics rules.
Alito, one of the high court’s leading conservatives, is just one of multiple justices who have come under recent scrutiny for ethics controversies that have fueled the renewed push.
“I know this is a controversial view, but I’m willing to say it,” Alito told the Journal. “No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court — period.”
Although the Constitution enables Congress to structure the lower federal courts, it explicitly vests judicial power within a singular Supreme Court.
Alito and some legal observers argue that means Congress can’t prescribe certain regulations for the high court without running afoul of separation of powers issues.
Chief Justice John Roberts has also questioned Congress’s ability to act, but not as definitive as Alito’s new remarks. Many court watchers who disagree with the premise believe that Roberts’ questioning has given fodder to Republican objections.
“I don’t know that any of my colleagues have spoken about it publicly, so I don’t think I should say,” Alito told the paper. “But I think it is something we have all thought about.”
Even if the current effort by Democrats in the Senate to regulate SCOTUS ethics, Alito is essentially warning that he won't be the only justice who simply deems any legislation to be unconstitutional. THe law doesn't apply to him because he's the one who says whether it applies or not.
Impeachment and removal of Alito and Thomas can't happen quickly enough, but we all know it never will.
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