Liberal political icon (and impartial Supreme Court justice) Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 83, defied convention when she decided to comment publicly on this year’s presidential contest, making some pithy remarks about Republican nominee Donald Trump, who turned 70 last month.
A war of words inevitably ensued between the two senior citizens, both of whom have exhibited signs of temperamental instability. Here’s what Trump tweeted late last night after Ginsburg called him a “faker” with an ego.
One assumes he ran out of characters to (accurately) describe Ginsburg as “low energy.”
The official Code of Conduct for United States Judges states the judges should not “publicly endorse or oppose a candidate for public office.”
To get a sense of just how inappropriate it was for Ginsburg to attack a presidential candidate publicly, consider that even the New York Times editorial board basically agreed with Trump, (gently) urging the justice to “drop the political punditry and the name-calling.” The Washington Post editorial board concurred, (even more gently) pointing to Ginsburg’s remarks as proof of her “fallibility.”
Others argued that Ginsburg had “risked her legacy” by making her “explosive, unprecedented, and unethical” remarks about Trump, which not only violated longstanding judicial norms, but also could create a judicial crisis if Trump somehow becomes president. Ginsburg comments would compel the justice to recuse herself in any future case brought by the Trump administration justice department.
Perhaps both senior citizens should consider retirement before anyone gets hurt.