The latest The New Yorker cover has done it again, capturing the zeitgeist with a searing, satirical image.
Elections have consequences, as the saying goes. Apparently, in 2016, that consequence was turning the Supreme Court into a rubber stamp for the far right’s fever dreams. The former President’s influence over the highest court in the land is so complete, so pervasive, they might as well be one and the same.
Anita Kunz shows highlights this shift clearly in her latest cover art for The New Yorker. The piece is called “The Face of Justice,” but it could also be named “The Many Faces of Trump” because it really shows how biased the court seems in its decisions. In the artwork, the faces of the Supreme Court Justices have been replaced with those of Donald Trump, except for three who don’t play Trump’s puppet. These justices are Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, both appointed by President Barack Obama, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022.
The artistic commentary couldn’t have come at a more crucial time. There’s the recent ruling granting criminal immunity to former presidents, a decision that essentially puts the commander-in-chief above the law. All three justices appointed by Trump – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett – sided with the majority.
Oh, and it gets better! Back in March, the Supreme Court also said, “Hey Trump, you know that little thing called the insurrectionist clause in the 14th Amendment? The one that says you can’t run for office if you have engaged in rebellion against the U.S.? Yeah, don’t worry about that. You can totally be on the presidential primary ballots!” In a more recent ruling, the Supreme Court also decided to make it a bit trickier for prosecutors to go after the rioters. Of course, if you’re going to rewrite the rules, might as well go all in and make sure your supporters have an easier time of it.
In the midst of the court’s controversial stances, a major development has taken place in Congress. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has introduced articles of impeachment against two Republican-appointed Supreme Court judges: Justice Thomas and Alito. Clarence Thomas faced significant scrutiny due to his wife’s political activities, particularly in relation to cases that touched upon the 2020 presidential election and its aftermath. It was revealed that his wife, Ginni, had sent texts to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, urging him to stand with Trump and fight the election results.
The U.S. federal law, 28 U.S.C. § 455, states that any justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States must disqualify themselves in any proceeding in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned. Despite these concerns, Justice Thomas chose not to recuse himself from cases connected to the 2020 election and January 6. Justice Alito’s recent controversy is less directly connected to his judicial duties, but has nonetheless sparked discussions about the perceptions of judicial neutrality.
The point is, Trump’s stranglehold on the judiciary is no laughing matter, despite the biting wit of The New Yorker‘s satirical cover. With the tangerine-tinted tyrant once again throwing his MAGA hat into the presidential ring for 2024, the thought of his tiny hands further molding the Supreme Court is about as comforting as a bed of nails.