Chief Justice Makes Budget Plea

3--30--1999

Chief Justice Rehnquist was reported to have made a plea to Congress this week for special consideration of appropriations for the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary branch in general. As usual, it appears that the court considers itself something special and deserving of privileged consideration by Congress.

CNN reported that among other things, Mr. Rehnquist referred to officers of the judicial branch who supervise criminals, as if to suggest harm to the public if the budget requests for the judicial branch were delayed.

On the one hand it's rather interesting to see the judiciary beg for its budget from Congress (which must surely gall some of the high and mighty of the federal bench), but on the other hand it makes us wonder why the justices feel that they are above the rest of government and deserving of elitist funding concessions.