Justice Alito and John's Luncheonette

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/22/opinion/justice-alito-propublica.html

("Does Justice Alito Hear Himself?")

Years ago, a friend and former work colleague was elevated to the bench. Before becoming a Judge, he and I were regular partners for lunch. That stopped the moment he put on the robe.

At John's Luncheonette the Judges all dined together.  Fraternization with lawyers or lay people who might one day appear before them was a definite no-no. The hint of impropriety was not a bad name for a perfume but the guiding principle creating a wall between the rest of the world and those sitting at that table. 

The men and women who have the extraordinary privilege to sit on the highest court in the land are not stupid. They well understand that with great power comes great responsibility. And they abuse their privilege when they take actions that are in contravention of the rules they well know to live by.

Common sense should have set off bells and whistles for Mr. Alito before he stepped on that private plane. For him, for Justice Thomas and for any others who sit on the Supreme Court, to accept lavish gifts and yet think, or at least pretend, we would find this passes the smell test is patently absurd.

My advise to this group, the chosen few, is just eat together at the luncheonette and only give the rest of us a small nod as we pass on by.