It is now taken for granted that the courts are not on the level — and that it’s naïve to believe otherwise.
It’s an apt moment to note a development that has happened in such a steady progression that it can be easy to miss how consequential it is in historical perspective. The country’s left and right flanks — endlessly divided on nearly every big question in national life — have arrived at a striking convergence: Both ends of the political spectrum believe the American justice system is simply not on the level.
It would have been far more notable if Johnson had said that he was disappointed, but that a jury of Trump’s fellow citizens deserves respect. Or if Pelosi had said she was confident that justices would rigorously interpret the Constitution without regard to their personal preferences. Many Democrats are impatient with President Joe Biden for not more forcefully criticizing the Supreme Court.talking points.
That jibe captured another feature of the new debate over the legal system. People may be unfeigned in their own indignation, but there is pervasive insincerity in claiming not to understand why others are indignant.