• chaogomu@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Actually, yes.

      As does the federal judiciary. Alito was a federal judge and while serving as such he knew damn well that any gift over about $20 had to be both turned down, and also reported.

      That’s the rules that federal judges live under, the same rules that most of the executive branch lives under.

      Senators and Representatives have looser rules, but they do have them… And Thomas and Alito have been instrumental in loosening those rules.

      Ted Cruz and the conservatives on the court actually made outright bribery legal if the bribed jumps through the right hoops. See FCC v Ted Cruz for more info.

      • fleabomber@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        As a former school bus driver I can assure you that if you don’t have consequences, you don’t have rules.

        • chaogomu@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          For everyone except supreme court justices and sitting senators, there are actual consequences for accepting gifts in excess of $20. And sitting senators used to have consequences as well. Until republicans decided that the rules didn’t apply to them, so they got rid of the rules.

          The aggravating thing is, without rules in place, you cannot punish someone for breaking the rules. Not unless you like mob justice, with is never actually just, and never stops until the bloodlust is fully slaked.

    • Tot@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Ya but it doesn’t seem there’s a whole lot of punishment for violating them.