Fairness, Bias, and Prejudice: The Dosadi Experiment and the US Supreme Court

In 1977, author Frank Herbert of "Dune" published a book called "The Dosadi Experiment."

The book told the story of a hybrid alien/human people.

Many readers consider it to be his best non-Dune book. Not having read the sequels to Dune, or anything else by him, I can't comment on that, but it *was* good.

While I generally don't read for quotes, just for entertainment and/or information, one part has stuck with me,

From Google Books, emphasis added by me -

Chief Justice John Roberts, while not the worst chief justice ever (Roger Taney of Dred Scott decision infamy, forever holds that title) definitely qualifies as "biased" under Herbert's definition.

Of course, the other members of his conservative majority qualify as "prejudiced".

Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett are nothing more than partisan hacks wearing black robes.

They don't care about society, right or wrong, or precedent, only how they've decided to rule.

This court, *any* court, needs to be seen as impartial to be seen as legitimate.

Certain people have noticed this court's lack of legitimacy.

From AP, dated 9/12/2022 -

Justice Kagan cautions Supreme Court can forfeit legitimacy

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan on Monday cautioned that courts look political 

and forfeit legitimacy when they needlessly overturn precedent and decide more 

than they have to.

Speaking less than three months after a five-justice conservative majority 

overturned Roe v. Wade’s constitutional guarantee of abortion access, Kagan 

said the public’s view of the court can be damaged especially when changes 

in its membership lead to big changes in the law.

She stressed that she was not talking about any particular decision or even 

a string of rulings with which she disagreed.

Still, her remarks were similar to points made in dissenting opinions she wrote 

or contributed to in recent months, including in the abortion case.

“Judges create legitimacy problems for themselves ... when they instead stray 

into places where it looks like they’re an extension of the political process or 

when they’re imposing their own personal preferences,” Kagan said at 

Temple Emanu-El in New York. The event was livestreamed.

As expected, one of the hacks took issue.

From The Hill, dated 9/29/2022 -

Alito: Questioning Supreme Court legitimacy ‘crosses an important line’

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the decision earlier this year overturning Roe v. Wade, told The Wall Street Journal that implying the court is illegitimate “crosses an important line.”

Alito offered the remark in response to an inquiry from the Journal about whether the court’s justices were concerned the public was losing faith in the Supreme Court after a series of controversial decisions that have roiled public debate.

Dear Justice Alito:

Maybe the USSC will merit the public's faith when it actually earns some of that faith.