Ethical elitism

Lackawaxen, Pa.: It’s annoying to hear wannabe judges decline to comment on hypothetical situations during their job interviews because of ethical constraints. Cops memorize patrol guide rules and then encounter similar, but not identical, circumstances on the job. If she wants the SCOTUS job, Barrett should answer only hypothetical questions because the made-up facts can never become a case or controversy, and because at the time of her response she is not yet a justice. At least as much as a police officer, the decision-making processes of a judicial nominee are crucial to the hiring process, and lack of candor should be disqualifying.

John A. MacKinnon