Jamelle Bouie: The Supreme Court is Corrupt. This is What We Can Do About It.

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5. Brilliant ideas. Worth the time to listen closely.

Summary:

Current court is corrupt both financially, and through "malign use of power" to make decisions not supported by citizens.

They are exercising legislative power intended for congress by creative reinterpretations of constitution, and shadow docket. Decisions made this way are highly contradictory and inconsistent. I.e., states rights' on gun rights, abortion, religion, racial justice, presidential powers.

Primary requirement of SC is to have consistent criteria for decisions, and public explanation of decisions. Shadow docket destroys this expectation.

Court reform options
- Expanding the court including circuit and lower courts.
- Reduce power - jurisdiction stripping
- Strict ethics rules - enforceable
- Take away ability to select clerks - patronage system
- Restrict ability to hear appeals. Create appeals circuit, random panels choose cases, random panels hear cases.

You can have government by judges, or government by the people. But you cannot have both.