The ethical judgments of the Supreme Court justices became an important issue recently. The court cannot【B1】___its legitimacy as guardian of the rule of law【B2】justices behave like politicians. Yet, in several instances, justices acted in ways that【B3】___the court’s reputation for being independent and impartial

Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito Jr. , for example, appeared at political events. That kind of activity makes it less likely that the court’s decisions will be【B4】___as impartial judgments. Part of the problem is that the justices are not【B5】by an ethics code. At the very least, the court should make itself【B6】to the code of conduct that【B7】___to the rest of the federal judiciary.

This and other cases【B8】___the question of whether there is still a【B9】___between the court and politics.

The framers of the Constitution envisioned law【B10】___having authority apart from politics. They gave justices permanent positions【B11】they would be free to【B12】those in power and have no need to【B13】political support. Our legal system was designed to set law apart from politics precisely because they are so closely【B14】___.

Constitutional law is political because it results from choices rooted in fundamental social 【B15】___like liberty and property. When the court deals with social policy decisions, the law it【B16】is inescapably political—which is why decisions split along ideological lines are so easily【B17】___as unjust.

The justices must【B18】___doubts about the court’s legitimacy by making themselves【B19】to the code of conduct. That would make their rulings more likely to be seen as separate from politics and, 【B20】___, convincing as law.

【B2】