Justice Elena Kagan declined Thursday to outright answer the question of whether Congress could impose an ethics code on the Supreme Court, but she did allow that it could do “various things” to regulate the high court.
“It just can’t be that the court is the only institution that is somehow not subject to any checks and balances from anybody else,” she said, adding, “I mean, we are not imperial.”
“We, too, are part of a checks and balances system,” she said.
What do you mean? The UK created a Supreme Court in 2009 that has 12 justices, which has similar functions to the US Supreme Court (9 justices). UK’s House of Lords is closer to the US Senate.
I understand what you are trying to say, but no, it isn’t.
Sure, there’s no direct equivalent for the House of Lords in the American system.
At the same time, unlike the Supreme Court in both the US and the UK, the House of Lords is not a judicial body. That’s why I thought it was odd that you chose a legislative body like the House of Lords to make your point.
I’m curious because I just know not.
How is it not closer?
@SendMePhotos @echo64
Mainly because the UK’s parliament is Westminster-based, the House of Lords are appointed (not elected) for life, and it’s there to act as a check against the House of Commons (who are elected) so no majority gov’t could just pass any laws, etc that they want.
Canada’s gov’t is the same (except we call it the Senate vs House of Lords instead).
Senators used to be appointed, and the House of Lords can no longer check the house of Commons, only delay.
It absolutely is, and actually it used to be even closer to the house of lords. Up until this last century the US Senate was not directly elected, the state government would appoint the state’s senators. IIRC the Senate was inspired by the house of lords, the major difference being term limits instead of lifetime appointments.
(I imagine the Senate was more meaningful back when the state government couldn’t talk to people in Washington in seconds)