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.

  • girlfreddy
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    31 year ago

    @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).

    • Harrison [He/Him]
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      21 year ago

      Senators used to be appointed, and the House of Lords can no longer check the house of Commons, only delay.