Sunday, January 02, 2005

 

A Man of Honor

From an article by Richard A. Serrano and David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times:
Justice Clarence Thomas has accepted tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts since joining the U.S. Supreme Court, from $1,200 worth of tires to valuable historical items and a $5,000 personal check to help pay a relative's education expenses.

His activity contrasts sharply with that of Justice David Souter of New Hampshire, who reported turning down all gifts, trips and club memberships on his official disclosure forms.
Souter is the only one of the nine with clean hands. The others are of course acting within the letter of the law, but there is an older and better guide to conduct, which states (Proverbs 17.23):
A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
Bribes by John T. Noonan, Jr. (1984) is an excellent historical treatment of the subject.



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