Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has issued an apology over her tirade against GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. A statement was issued today stating
“On reflection, my recent remarks in response to press inquiries were ill-advised and I regret making them. Judges should avoid commenting on a candidate for public office. In the future I will be more circumspect.”
The statements of course were a bit more than “ill-advised.” They were unethical. Moreover, some have noted that expressing regret is not an apology. I do believe an apology is in order. However, the statement makes no excuses and promises to avoid such transgressions in the future. It should defuse much of the current controversy, even though Ginsburg’s conduct was quite shocking. With three separate interviews and a well-established ethical rule against such statements, the violation was frankly breathtaking. I have great respect for Justice Ginsburg but this incident will tarnish an otherwise inspiring legacy on the Court.
Moreover, if this election produces another court challenge like the one in Bush v. Gore, I believe that Ginsburg would have to seriously consider recusing herself. It would be highly inappropriate for her to sit on such a case after saying that she might move to New Zealand rather than live in a country headed by Trump.
I still hope that the incident will refocus attention on the need for the reform of the Supreme Court. I have long advocated an enforceable system of judicial ethics. The apology today should not detract from the need to have such a system. The Supreme Court is the only part of our federal government that has no enforceable ethical code. This is not the first such violation by a member of the Court. Indeed, a majority of justices have been accused of ethical violations.
I also hope that the incident will force greater circumspection on the part of Ginsburg and her colleagues over their growing public appearances and speeches. I have been a long critic of what I have called the “celebrity justice” model of the modern Court. The corrosive effect of such public engagements is evident in the unethical statements made by Justice Ginsburg.
No toothpaste in Venezuela.
Too late, the toothpaste is out of the tube.
If it is going to be soooooo awful here, why don’t these liberals ever threaten to move to, say, Venezuela, where they have socialist governments that are clearly more to their taste?
Justice Ginsburg did not apologize. The words “apology” and or “sorry” we’re not found in her statement.
It was just that, a statement of regret, and I would call it a CYA statement. Her ego would NEVER let her apologize to any non liberal. Shameful!
There is a term for this kind of “apology”, it is called an unpology.
Ex. – I am so sorry you feel that way.
– I am sorry my statements caused you distress.
– I apologize for your feeling that way.
The common theme is that it sounds like an apology, but the actual content of the statement does not express any regret for the content of offending behavior.
It’s all just a show anyway.
@Geoffrey
Oh blather on! Here is you a free translation of what you, and other Democrats constantly use as a talking point:
“Anything that we do or say is justified because at some point in history somebody on the other side maybe did something which we either consider similar, or can argue that was similar! Sooo, for us Democrats and Liberals THERE ARE NO RULES ABOUT NOTHING! Everything we ever do is just peachy!”
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter.
How can there be an enforceable ethical code against a co-equal branch of our federal government and the final arbiter of the Constitution, which clearly limits to impeachment the remedy for malfeasance of a sitting justice?
Impeach her if the indiscretion was bad enough, but I suspect any legislated ethical code would be met head on with fairly old precedent, Marbury v. Madison (striking section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789 as beyond Congress’s constitutional authority to enact) and thereafter whether Congress and/or the Executive will force a coup d’etat.
“What Justice Ginsburg did in these interviews is facially unethical in my view,” said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University. “It undermines the core values and integrity of the court.”
Yo, Jonathan, that “core values and integrity” ship sailed so long ago you can’t even make out its wake anymore. Maybe you don’t remember a little thingy known as”Bush v.Gore” or perhaps “Justice” Antonin Scalia’s many denigrations of the powerless.
At least RBG punches UP.
The sight of the media collectively clutching its pearls and sniffing its smelling salts because an eighty year old lady was the only one with the balls to call out a faker like Trump for what he is, is a pretty telling comment on the NYT, WaPo and all the rest of the commentariat that was so outraged.
Ridiculous. And pathetic.
I say to you all, **Do Your Jobs** and do some actual reporting on Trump instead of just pulling on the cash register handle every time Trump phones in HIS latest real outrage.
Really.
Since I seriously doubt that she could remember her last sold bm, I’m surprised that she could even remember making the remark. Her days of sitting on the bench, in any capacity, should have been terminated long ago. I hope that she lives until 120, just not parked on a bench where her decisions affect the lives of the rest of us. Clearly, she didn’t even have the capacity to immediately attempt to apologize for her words, which are in direct conflict with the manner and decorum demanded of a Supreme Court justice. She had to be inundated with massive amounts of criticism before she even had a clue that she violated the restrictions under which she is demanded to operate. A fine specimen of what should be making life altering decisions on the Supreme Court.
@LloydB
Uh, Ginsberg’s faux pas (which is French for “fake dance steps”) confirms Trump’s point about judge’s being potentially susceptible to politics. Sheeesh, if even a SCOTUS justice lets the cat out of the bag, what is the La Raza judge keeping choked back.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Really? Did someone slap her hand or should I say mouth! Sounds “Trumped up” however the lady and I use the word loosely needs to leave the bench and retire somewhere quiet.
Apology my a**.
Same people that demonized Trump for even suggesting a judge on a case of his might be biased based on his policies/person will gladly waive their hand now to help this go away. It isn’t going away. It goes to the core of the demise of “rule of law” with replacement of “rule of feelings” foisted on us by the “our means are justified by our glorious ends” gang…otherwise known as the Frankfurt School of Higher Education. Undermining “rule of law’ is essential to the end of the American Experiment and the ushering in of the “rule of feelings” by which elite central planners really mean: How we feel on Tuesday at noon.
The standard ‘no apology apology’.
Now I wonder if the namesake of Trump U and Trump Institute will apologize for racially slandering and bringing into question the judgment of Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel. No. Trump apologizes for none of his racially focused hatred and xenophobia. But that’s ok with his brain dead minions…..
I wonder what Lawrence O’Donnell is saying now?
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/ginsburg-criticized-for-criticizing-trump-723989059782
I thought she should have refrained but I find these apologies annoying.
How about retiring those people at 80 — time for some fresh thinking !!I am 88 — get old farts out of making decisions that effect people.Use their experience and wisdom — not their decisions.
From: JONATHAN TURLEY To: jimkuden@sbcglobal.net Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2016 7:55 AM Subject: [New post] GINSBURG ISSUES APOLOGY FOR TRUMP ATTACK #yiv5774447066 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv5774447066 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv5774447066 a.yiv5774447066primaryactionlink:link, #yiv5774447066 a.yiv5774447066primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv5774447066 a.yiv5774447066primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv5774447066 a.yiv5774447066primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv5774447066 WordPress.com | jonathanturley posted: “Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has issued an apology over her tirade against GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. A statement was issued today stating“On reflection, my recent remarks in response to press inquiries were ill-advised and I regr” | |
This is a liberal “apology”. It’s a “sorry/ not sorry”. I want her to move to New Zealand, I will even help her pack. She can take the whole bunch, BO and company, along. It will be an adventure.
RE: “The apology makes no excuses and promises to avoid such transgressions in the future.”
Too late – the only reason she apologized was due to all the criticism she received – from the Right and the Left.
Hey, maybe Ginsberg should resign her SCOTUS position and join HRC on the campaign trail. Ginsberg is a uniter – she has united people who are intellectually honest.