justices

Self-made billionaires in Beijing, tech innovators in Silicon Valley, pioneering justices in Ghana—in these and countless other areas, women are leaving their mark.

"Each year the physical presence rule becomes further removed from economic reality and results in significant revenue losses to the States," he wrote in an opinion joined by four other justices.

But the justices should not swallow California's argument whole.

California has asked the justices to refrain from a sweeping ruling, particularly one that upsets the old assumption that authorities may search through the possessions of suspects at the time of their arrest.

Enough of the implications are discernible, even obvious, so that the justices can and should provide updated guidelines to police, lawyers and defendants.

However, the Justices said that Arizona police would be allowed to verify the legal status of people who come in contact with law enforcement.

Last April, for example, the justices signaled that too many patents were being upheld for "inventions" that are obvious.

Merely helping a gift-giver gain access to other officials, unless done with clear intent to pressure those officials, is not corruption, the Justices found.

Orin Kerr, a law professor, compares the explosion and accessibility of digital information in the 21st century with the establishment of automobile use as a virtual necessity of life in the 20th: The justices had to specify novel rules for the new person

Part of the problem is that the justices are not bound by an ethics code.

The court cannot maintain its legitimacy as guardian of the rule of law when justices behave like politicians.

The ethical judgments of the Supreme Court justices have become an important issue recently.

The justices must address doubts about the court's legitimacy by making themselves accountable to the code of conduct.

They gave justices permanent positions so they would be free to upset those in power and have no need to cultivate political support.

Yet, in several instances, justices acted in ways that weakened the court's reputation for being independent and impartial.