대법원의 윤리적 위기와 대중의 비난

### 대법원의 윤리적 위기와 대중의 불만
* ⚖ 대법원은 **2020년 7월의 58% 지지율**에 비해 **2024년 7월의 갤럽 여론조사에서 52%의 지지율**을 기록하는 등 대중의 신뢰가 크게 하락했습니다.
* 📊 윤리적 우려가 커지는 가운데 **판사 해임 또는 사임 요구와 법원 확대 제안**이 등장했습니다.
* 📜 미국 헌법에 명시된 대법관 수는 의회에서 변경할 수 있지만, **1869년 사법부법에 따라 9명**으로 정해져 있습니다.
* 🗳 대법관 지명 과정은 오늘날의 이념적 리트머스 시험과 달리 **스티븐 브레이어와 루스 베이더 긴즈버그 같은 과거 대법관 후보들이 초당적 지지**를 받는 등 양극화가 심해졌습니다.
* 📰 특히 **클라렌스 토마스, 사무엘 알리토 같은 판사들**과 관련된 윤리적 이슈로 인해 대법원의 청렴성에 대한 조사가 강화되었습니다.
* 📈 바이든 대통령이 **18년 임기 제한과 구속력 있는 판사 행동 강령**을 요구하는 등 법원에 윤리적 기준을 부과하려는 노력이 제안되었습니다.
* 🚨 이러한 제안에도 불구하고 공화당 의원들이 개혁안을 **권력 쟁취로 간주**하고 의회 내 깊은 당파적 분열을 반영하고 있기 때문에 개혁안이 통과될 가능성은 낮습니다.
* 🕵 대법원에 대한 신뢰의 위기가 계속되면서 **대법원의 정당성과 중대한 개혁의 가능성에 대한 의문**이 제기되고 있습니다.

대법원의 신뢰도 하락은 판사의 윤리와 당파성에 대한 대중의 우려가 커지고 있음을 반영합니다.

John: The Supreme Court in recent years has suffered not only from low public opinion but a wave of ethical issues that have shattered trust in the body. The right-wing justices on the Supreme Court are completely and totally out of control. John: The most recent Gallup poll, taken in July 2024, showed that the Court had a 52% disapproval rating, while 43% of responders approved. This was a stark contrast with a poll taken in July 2020, which showed that the Court at the time had a 58% approval rating with 38% disapproving. Some have called for the removal or resignation of justices from the court, and some also want to expand the size of the court. But how would these things work? I'm John Dorman, and I'm a senior politics reporter at Business Insider. The Supreme Court was established in the US Constitution. It doesn't specify how many justices can serve,

and that number can be changed by Congress. But the Judiciary Act of 1869 set the number of justices at nine, a chief justice, and eight associate justices. Since then, the nomination process has become more polarized in recent years. Supreme Court nominees like Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and John Roberts were easily confirmed with bipartisan support. The ayes are 78, the nays are 22. The nomination of John G. Roberts Jr. of Maryland to be chief justice of the United States is confirmed. John: But the votes for nominees have now become an ideological litmus test. This division is really a reflection of the partisanship within Congress, which has reached a fever pitch. Lots of senators have also run for president, or are thinking of running, and the Supreme Court has become the perfect institution to exert ideological influence. The Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade

also hardened many feelings about the institution. But it's not just legal decisions that are being questioned by the public in recent years. It's also the personal ethics of justices. The most famous example is Clarence Thomas, who faced heavy criticism after ProPublica in April 2023 published a bombshell report detailing how for years he had taken luxury vacations funded by the billionaire mega-donor Harlan Crow and had not disclosed the trips. Thomas said at the time that he was advised that it wasn't necessary to report this sort of personal hospitality. But he said he'd adhere to the new guidelines set forth by the Judicial Conference of the United States. Before that, Thomas came under intense scrutiny as his wife, conservative activist Ginni Thomas, was involved in the push to overturn Biden's 2020 victory. She was even interviewed by the Jan. 6 committee. Samuel Alito has also been in the spotlight.

The New York Times reported that an upside-down American flag was observed flying outside of Alito's home after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol. The flag's direction is widely seen as a message of support for Trump's push to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Alito responded by saying that his wife was responsible for the flag's placement, and he rejected the notion that he'd recuse himself from Jan. 6-related cases. Given these developments, the court's standing has fallen in the eyes of many Americans. Despite that, are these justices untouchable, or can they be removed from the court? To impeach a Supreme Court justice, a member of the House would introduce articles of impeachment. But a two-thirds majority would be needed to convict and remove a justice, a virtually unrealistic proposition in today's closely divided Congress. To be clear, no Supreme Court justice has ever been successfully removed. Democrats in Congress are trying to institute

some form of ethics for the Supreme Court. President Biden has even laid out a proposal that would create 18-year term limits for justices, institute a binding code of conduct for justices, and he wants lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment that would limit presidential immunity. And he's also heavily criticized the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the ruling that essentially ended affirmative action in college admissions. Harris has backed Biden's reforms, saying there is a clear crisis of confidence facing the Supreme Court. And there's another proposal from Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden. He introduced a bill recently in the Senate that would increase the number of justices on the court from nine to 15 over 12 years. It would direct the IRS to audit justices every year. It would also mandate that Supreme Court nominees release three years of tax returns. And it would allow a two-thirds vote among justices for justices to recuse themselves from a case.

But the proposals have little chance of passing, even in the current Democratic-controlled Senate. Republicans who see the conservative majority on the court as the fruit of their decades of labor and prioritizing the Supreme Court see Democratic attempts at reforms as a power grab. Mitch McConnell, the architect of the GOP road map to transform the court, blocked the Merrick Garland pick for most of 2016, which paved the way for Trump to nominate Neil Gorsuch. But Democrats have not forgotten about it, and they're still upset over the move. But at the time, they were powerless to stop it.

Is It Time To Change The Supreme Court And Can It Happen? | Business Insider Explains

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대법원의 신뢰도 하락과 양극화

대법원은 낮은 여론과 윤리적 문제에 직면하여 2024년 7월에는 52%의 지지율로 2020년 7월의 58% 지지율과 극명한 대조를 이뤘습니다.

1869년 사법부법 이후 대법관 수가 9명으로 정해지면서 대법관의 해임 또는 사임과 법원 규모 확대에 대한 요구가 제기되고 있습니다.

판사 지명 절차는 점점 더 양극화되고 있으며, 이는 의회 내 당파성이 커지고 있음을 반영합니다.

클라렌스 토마스가 억만장자 기부자로부터 자금을 지원받아 공개되지 않은 호화 휴가를 보낸 사실이 알려지면서 반발에 직면하는 등 대법관들의 개인 윤리에 대한 대중의 감시가 강화되고 있습니다.

새뮤얼 알리토는 1월 6일 폭동 이후 집 앞에 성조기를 거꾸로 세워놓아 공정성에 대한 의문을 불러일으키기도 했습니다.

탄핵 요구에도 불구하고 현재 분열된 의회에서 탄핵 절차가 성공할 가능성은 낮으며, 대법관이 성공적으로 해임된 사례는 없음니다.

바이든 대통령은 대법관 임기 18년 제한, 구속력 있는 행동 강령, 대통령 면책특권 제한을 위한 헌법 개정을 제안했습니다.

해리스 부통령은 대법원에 대한 신뢰의 위기를 언급하며 이러한 개혁을 지지합니다.

론 와이든 오리건주 상원의원은 대법관 수를 15명으로 늘리고, 매년 국세청 감사를 실시하고, 세금 신고서 공개를 의무화하고, 3분의 2 찬성으로 대법관이 사건에서 기피할 수 있도록 하는 법안을 발의했습니다.

공화당이 대법원 개혁안을 권력 장악으로 간주하기 때문에 민주당이 장악한 상원에서 대법원 개혁안이 통과될 가능성은 낮습니다.

2016년 미치 맥코넬이 메릭 갈랜드 대법관 인선을 막은 것은 대법원의 보수적 다수파를 변화시키는 데 결정적인 역할을 했습니다.

민주당원들은 여전히 맥코넬의 행동에 분개하고 있지만 당시에는 이를 막을 힘이 없었습니다.