OF JUSTICE TITLES

OF USING JUST TITLES By Wilhelmina S. Orozco

When members of the Supreme Court retire and assume another job, that of for individual/s with civil or criminal charges against them, should they retain their titles at all? I found it rather odd watching the Senate hearing yesterday, the start of the trial to convict the Supreme Court Chief Justice of many charges, among which is making partial decisions for a former president. The Senate President always referred to the lead defender Justice when there should be clear separation of powers between the Senate and the Supreme Court. Now the title Justice is earned because persons have been appointed to be members of the Supreme Court. As such, their decision is said to emanate from powers conferred on them to perform a task of rendering the highest decision on civil and criminal cases. Once retired, the title Justice is carried because the people carry that respect for them and for the illustrious service they had rendered to their posts. However, once those justices assume a civilian position again, in this case that of lawyering in a case, is it not being irreverent using the same title for a position that does not carry with it the grand functions that a member of the Supreme Court performs? Moreover, appearing in a Senate impeachment hearing, then that justice then bows himself to the rules of the institution, and therefore no longer has the privilege nor right to use that title. He becomes a defending lawyer, no longer a member of the Supreme Court that confers the title Justice on their members. The use of the same title in this hearing could color the views of the public – and make them view the one being charged as worthy of greater attention just because a former associate justice is defending him. Maybe the Senate must adopt new rules with regard to titles being used by everyone involved in any case so that the public shall not be waylaid into thinking that elitism is upheld in our society despite the pronouncements on being democratic of the officials and their decisions, Constitutionally upright.