The nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court arguably have more power than any other body of our government. They have it for life, and they are
uniquely immune from the kind of transparency that everyone else is subject to. There is a judicial code of conduct for federal judges, but the SCOTUS doesn't have to abide by it. That, and a number of other transparency issues, have become increasingly problematic as the court becomes more and more politicized. And that's why there's a
new effort coalescing to push the court into the open.
The new effort, to be called "Fix the Court," is intended to bring more media and advertising firepower to what has been a diffused effort on the part of liberal, conservative and government watchdog groups concerned about the high court's renowned seclusion.
It opens Wednesday with a six-figure advertising campaign aimed at politically active fans of Fox and MSNBC, as well as online sites. Funding comes from the non-partisan New Venture Fund.
"They told us where we can pray, picked our president, allowed billionaires to buy elections and made choices of life and death," the ad intones. "Nine judges, appointed for life to a court that makes its own rules and has disdain for openness and transparency—the Supreme Court, the most powerful and least accountable branch of government."
The campaign has five goals: when justices recuse themselves, a public explanation as to why; annual financial disclosure published online, with details about who their benefactors are; SCOTUS adherence to the judicial code of conduct; advanced notice of public appearances by justices; better public and media access to the courtroom and the plaza.
Given the huge role in public life that the Supreme Court has taken on, those demands seem pretty damned reasonable.