U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Thursday said she regrets making critical comments about Republican presidential contender Donald Trump.
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In a July 7 interview with The Associated Press, Ginsburg was outspoken on the possibility of Trump’s election: “I don’t want to think about that possibility, but if it should be, then everything is up for grabs”.
Ginsburg is aware of her remarks and probably has not changed her perspective regarding Mr. Trump. In one of a series of Twitter posts, he also said Ginsburg’s “mind is shot”. In an editorial on Wednesday, the New York Times said that while there was no legal requirement for her to refrain from commenting on the presidential campaign, Ginsburg should uphold the court’s tradition of silence in political campaigns and drop the “punditry and name-calling”. He says whatever comes into his head at the moment.
Following federal law, which requires federal judges and justices to “recuse themselves if their impartiality might reasonably be questioned”, Ginsburg said that judges should restrain from providing commentary regarding politics, although she did not apologize at any point in the subsequent statement.
Justice Ginsburg, a known liberal, has already stated that she would move to New Zealand if Trump were to win the presidency, also noting that she can not understand how Trump has been able to go on for so long without revealing his tax return statements. “Judges should avoid commenting on a candidate for public office”.
And she was even more anxious about the future composition of the court, saying: “For the court, it could be – I don’t even want to contemplate that”.
Ginsburg expressed regret Thursday morning and in a statement and interview with CNN. She called her comments “incautious”.
However objectionable Trump may be, having a justice discuss national candidates does not serve the Supreme Court or the country well.
The court is now evenly split between conservatives and liberals, who include Ginsburg.
As chief justice, Roberts has labored mightily to protect the court’s reputation and ensure that the public sees its members as more than politicians in robes.
“It’s likely that the next president, whoever she will be, will have a few appointments to make”, Ginsburg added with a smile.
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On a lighter note, he joked: “She didn’t earn the nickname the Notorious RBG for nothing”.
