Chief Justice Earl Warren once said, “The man of character, sensitive to the meaning of what he is doing, will know how to discover the ethical paths in the maze of possible behavior.”
I understand what Chief Justice Warren was saying, but I would go two steps further. I believe the man or woman of character will not only know how to discover the ethical paths, but will discover the paths of moral excellence in the maze of possible behavior. Knowledge must result in action to create a man or woman of character, and mere ethical paths must be replaced with paths of the highest possible moral excellence.
Be that as it may, I wonder what Chief Justice Warren would say about our nation’s current attempts to fill another empty seat in the highest court of our land. I wonder if those who are involved are as concerned about character as they should be. I wonder if they believe that character counts in the Supreme Court.
I believe character does count in the Supreme Court, and in every other court in our land. I believe it is far more important to determine whether a candidate for a seat in the court is a man or woman of character than to determine where they stand on this or that issue.
A few years ago, I had occasion to sit in a small court hearing, and I was aghast at the lack of character displayed by the attorney representing the defendant. His lack of honesty and integrity allowed him to heap lie upon lie as he painted, for the judge, a picture of the plaintiffs – a picture that I, being very familiar with the plaintiffs, knew was far from the truth. They tried repeatedly to point this out to the judge, but were told to be silent. So the crafty lawyer continued, describing individuals who were not even remotely similar to the plaintiffs, and leering at them from time to time as he spoke.
Finally, he sat down, affected a caring smile, and rested his case.
The judge gave the plaintiffs opportunity to refute what had been said, but warned them that if the case was not concluded in minutes, they would have to return the next day, and he didn’t want to do that for such an insignificant (to him) case.
The plaintiffs made a feeble attempt to refute a few of the defense lawyer’s lies, but finally gave up in despair, letting most of them stand.
Character did not count to that attorney. Nor did it count to the defendant, who willingly let his attorney continue, though he knew the statements were false. Both had taken an oath, of course, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. They lied in the face of that oath.
I would like to think that the next judge added to the Supreme Court will be a man or woman of character. I dare to hope for that. But our society has spiraled downward into such a moral abyss that even our courts, which ought to be bastions of character, are weighed in the balances and found wanting.
That’s the view from my chair. What’s your view?