Neither was doubling down when confronted with questions of propriety, but here we are.
From the Associated Press:
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she regrets her “ill-advised” public criticism of Donald Trump.
Ginsburg says in a statement issued by the court on Thursday that judges should avoid commenting on a candidate for public office. She promises to be more circumspect in the future.
Ever hear the expression about the cat being out of the bag, Justice G.?
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
It was worth reviewing the comments for which the 83-year-old Ginsburg is now deservedly taking heat. On Monday, she said:
I can’t imagine what this place would be like — what this country would be like — with Donald Trump as our president. For the country, it could be four years. For the court, it could be — I don’t even want to contemplate that.
When pressed for substance, she elaborated with this criticism:
How has he gotten away with not turning over his tax returns? The press seems to be very gentle with him on that. Every other presidential candidate has turned over tax returns.
That’s true, but it’s also true that Hillary Clinton, Trump’s Democratic rival, has stubbornly refused to surrender transcripts of paid speeches she made to banking giant Goldman Sachs. One individual who was present for one of the three speeches told Politico:
It was pretty glowing about us. It’s so far from what she sounds like as a candidate now. It was like a rah-rah speech. She sounded more like a Goldman Sachs managing director.
Doesn’t that comment whet Ginsburg’s whistle for a look at the transcripts?
It is still hard to imagine how Ginsburg could provide the necessary partiality as a judge on the nation’s highest bench in cases brought under a putative Trump administration. Maybe in any case she should consider vacating her seat.
