The New York Times' editorial board ripped the Supreme Court for "ducking" their core responsibilities during President Donald Trump's second term, citing justices issuing brief rulings in decisions with nationwide impact.
In the scathing analysis published Monday, the board slammed the court for delivering "brief, unsigned rulings" in place of detailed explanations for their decisions, arguing that failure to "offer public explanation for the legal basis of their decisions" affects their credibility.
The publication specifically called out the Supreme Court's use of emergency dockets for various decisions where they ruled in Trump's favor to give his administration more influence. The dockets leave little insight into the rulings and leave the votes of the justices anonymous.
"In following this path, the justices are ducking one of their crucial responsibilities: making persuasive arguments with which we can all engage," the editorial board wrote.
While the New York Times acknowledged that the use of emergency dockets was necessary in some instances, they argued that its recent frequency "diminishes public confidence in government when that confidence is already low."
Since the start of Trump's second term, the president's administration has railed against judges that have blocked his executive orders affecting policies on immigration and deportation and the massive cuts on various government agencies.
The publication noted that justices are also not supposed to let their own personal ideologies affect their decision, and instead point to laws and the Constitution for their decisions. However, given the court's conservative lean and the amount of rulings in Trump's favor, the NYT noted that there is an increasing "perception that the justices have a thumb on the scale for a Republican president."
"The court should think about how its work can bolster the separation of powers to assure the future of American democracy. That is its ultimate responsibility," the publication wrote.
Originally published on Latin Times
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