The Ethics Void: Why the Supreme Court Needs Rules and Term Limits

When norms fail, rules must take their place.

For much of American history, there was an unspoken expectation that justices of the Supreme Court would avoid even the faintest whiff of impropriety out of respect for the solemnity of the office. The Court, we were told, policed itself because its members understood their unique role in a democracy.

But human nature is what it is. Power tempts. And whe…