Scathing parody mocks Supreme Court justices’ excuses for dodging ethics code

Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's hard-right supermajority have been calling for the justices to be subjected to a code of ethics like others in government. But so far, Chief Justice John Roberts has resisted this type of reform.

Washington Post opinion columnist Alexandra Petri brutally mocks that resistance in a parody published on April 28. In her humorous but biting piece, Petri portrays the Roberts Court and has some laughs at their expense.

"So, to please you people, we've been looking into having a code of conduct," Petri writes. "We looked so hard but ultimately found that — we did not want to. Maybe the real ethics code is in our hearts. Maybe an ethics code is more of a journey than a destination. Not the kind of journey we would need to disclose, the other kind."

READ MORE: Here are 6 ways to combat an imperial Supreme Court

Petri continues, "Besides, you have so much to worry about right now. Things like: Where are my rights going? Why is child labor coming back? Can I provide life-saving medical care without being sued out of practice? You don't also need to worry that the Supreme Court does not have a code of ethics. We have something even better, which is a commitment to being the most Supreme Court that there is! If we had an ethics code, people might be able to plan around it; under the current system, whether we rule on cases or recuse is a surprise. Everyone loves surprises!"

READ MORE: How two conflicting federal court decisions led to the Supreme Court’s abortion pill ruling

Read Alexandra Petri's full Washington Post column at this link (subscription required).