Judges for Sale

Now that our Supreme Court gas been exposed as a dark money-making enterprise, with Justices Thomas, Alito, and Roberts accused of ethics violations, it's refreshing to be reminded that it was never not so, that judges have always been for sale to the highest bidders. 

I never expected to be reminded of this by Saul Bellow, the greatest American fiction writer of the 20th century. When the narrator of his 1987 novel More Die of Heartbreak, Kenneth Trachtenberg, goes to meet Fishl Vilitzer, the son of his family's nemesis, Harold Vilitzer, Fishl explains how judge Amador Chetnik, a corrupt judge appointed by Harold to screw Kenneth's family out of millions, could live so extravagantly on a not so large government salary:

“But let’s look at Chetnik for a moment,” he said. “On a salary of seventy grand, how come he owns a four-bedroom condominium here, with a Mercedes for himself and a BMW for his wife? How does he also manage to buy a house in Florida? Who gives him free Hawaiian holidays, and other beautiful perks?”

“Not your father?”

“No. Dad bought Chetnik when Amador was a young lawyer ringing doorbells to get out the vote, before he was even a precinct captain. He bought him and put him on the bench. What you need to know in addition is that there are guys who come to the court building and then ride up and down in the elevators. These tempters know the county judges’ schedules and wait for the opportunity to say a few words in private. Chambers can be bugged; that’s why they pitch them in the elevators. Now, these guys carry special offers, like big interest-free loans that never have to be repaid. They have an exceptional nose for corruption potential.”

“Are you speaking of petty-graft fixers?”

“Not at all. These are dependable, influential, solid parties. They’re often the senior partners in big-name law firms. They plan to bring major cases before their favorite judges, that’s all. A brief encounter one-on-one in the elevators, and the deal is cut.”

“Is that how it works! Very obliging of you to share this information with me.”