It Goes With The Bench

I was thinking about this movie today, mainly for this quote:

Billy Joe ‘Budger’ Cahill: You’re bleeding again, Pa.

J.D. Cahill: Yeah, I guess it goes with the badge. You got a kerchief?

The point? If you accept a job some burdens come along with it. So what made me think about that quote? This USA Today article. It’s a piece about what may be the most powerful institution in our government – The Supreme Court – is the least accessible. And probably the least accountable. I’ve blogged about the Court’s inexcusable refusal to broadcast its oral arguments.

And while that’s an important point, there are other pressing issues. Such as, for example, why shouldn’t the justices specify why they recuse themselves from cases? Why shouldn’t their financial disclosures be filed online? Intrusive? Maybe. But it seems like a small price to pay for lifetime tenure and pretty much limitless power. Not to mention summers off. 

Of course, just this week, Justice Alito

is speaking to the uber conservative Federalist Society. And guess what? He’s insisted that his speech be closed to all broadcast media. Which is actually a compromise – he originally wanted all press excluded. Now he has deigned to allow “pen and paper” media (although in my experience, most reporters now have iPads). I don’t know if the Justice is a fan of the Duke. But he could take a lesson. And not be so camera shy!