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Excuse me while I rant for a bit …
Ok, so there’s pending federal legislation that would require the Supreme Court to televise its proceedings. Yesterday, Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Anthony Kennedy addressed members of the House and said that the Court is opposed to this idea because the issue should be left up to the courts. They argued that this would ruin the dynamic of the court and interfere with how cases are decided, and Congress should not tell the Court how to do its business (i.e., the “keep your nose outta’ our bitness” argument). Which all sounds like poppy-cock to me - if they would do their business differently in front of a television camera, one has to ask “why,” right? The only reasonable argument presented was that a decrease in the Justices’ anonymity could necessitate an increase in security. Valid point but, personally, I think this country would be better off if it knew a little more about who the Justices are and what the Supreme Court is really all about, and if that means that they need a bodyguard, so be it.
But what really gets my blood boiling is that Kennedy then went on to argue that federal judges need to be paid more money, because their current salaries are somehow inadequate (Chief Justice John Roberts currently makes $212,100, the other Supreme Court justices make $203,000, federal appellate court judges make $175,000 and federal district judges make $165,000). So the public should spend more and more every year on these judges but not be entitled to see what they actually do? It’s fucking ridiculous that he would argue these two things back-to-back. Let’s put aside the fact that any federal judge already makes more than at least 90% of the rest of the country. Kennedy argues that these salaries are not high enough to entice the best lawyers to want to be federal judges, which leads to a “serious erosion in the morale of the judges.” You know what? Tough shit! Sure, there are lawyers that make a lot more than these judges’ salaries, and they’re probably not willing to give it up. Great! That means that it’s more likely that the folks who do decide to become federal judges actually want to do the job and care about the work, and aren’t simply there for the money. I’d rather have a slightly depressed federal judge who went to the bench because it was what he felt was the right thing to do, over some money grubber who figured “hell, for the same pay as my firm, I can get better hours and a spiffy robe - count me in.”
I’m so angry right now that the only thing that can calm me down is to look up at that soothing picture of QuizLaw favorite Jessica Alba. Jessica Alba, take me away….
