The Emperors Have All Disrobed

Around the world, the U.S. Constitution underlies the aura of “exceptionalism” that continues to define America’s spirit. That sacred document not only embodies our rule of law, it enshrines our freedoms which enhance our quality of life.

It’s believed that bad actors who break the law will have their day in court and face appropriate consequences. It’s also believed that in America no one is above the law. But that may be about to change.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court justices all danced around the alleged crime before them. The question to be decided was: did Trump participate in an insurrection and should he be barred from holding office?

Instead of executing judicial responsibility, the justices morphed into soothsayers arguing on what might happen should one state remove Trump from the ballot. For two hours, they bypassed reasoning or questions pertaining to the crime itself, peering instead into an imaginary group crystal ball.

Ironically, in dismissing the real question at hand, this court ignored its own previous opinion that upended Roe v. Wade less that two years ago: “It is time to heed the Constitution,” Justice Alito declared in his famed opinion, giving the states the power to decide. In that decision no Tarot cards were needed. The constitution was clear. The future impact of that decision was inconsequential and not up to the court to worry about.

And, yet, on Thursday the justices leaned into the argument that if one state, Colorado, barred Trump from the ballot, other states would follow (as they have with regard to banning abortions), and no one state should have the power to make such a decision.

In other words, who are we to violate a citizen’s fundamental right to choose at the polls, even if it means electing an insurrectionist who plotted a violent coup d’etat against his own country? And, yet, we must rescind a citizen’s right to choose when to have a child or not since the Constitution is clear about that. With this logic, should it prevail, we must consider that the Constitution, once considered brilliant, now has no teeth and, shamefully, the emperors in the highest court have all disrobed.