It has come to this: The United States of America, inventors of democracy, the Statue of Liberty, and the three-course meal to go, have now achieved what was once reserved only for banana republics - the Supreme Court is bankrupt. Not morally, they\u2019ve been that for a while now, at least six of them. No, also financially. In Washington, the cash has run out, and the gods in robes now sit on unpaid chairs made of institutional pathos. Patricia McCabe, spokesperson for the Supreme Court, declared on Friday in a mixture of bureaucratic English and apocalyptic prophecy that the Court \u201cexpects to have no funds as of October 18.\u201d The Court will then \u201cadjust its operations to comply with the law.\u201d That sounds about as reassuring as \u201cWe\u2019re about to fly into a mountain, but we\u2019re following safety procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The consequences are bizarre: the most venerable building of American justice is closing its doors to the public. No visitors, no tourists, no souvenir inscribed with Equal Justice Under Law. Only the justices remain - in their offices, under dimmed lights to save electricity, while deciding on the fundamental rights of a nation that apparently doesn\u2019t have enough budget left to pay for the light bulb above the Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief Justice John Roberts, guardian of the balance between chaos and greater chaos, now finds himself in the curious position of overseeing budget law while his own budget collapses. Picture it: nine judges in solemn silence deliberating on Trump\u2019s military deployment in Chicago - with cold coffee and empty accounts. Perhaps they will soon launch Crowdfunding for Justice. \u201cDonate 10 dollars today so Brett Kavanaugh can keep drinking beer while ruling on the fate of the Republic.\u201d Samuel Alito could become the commercial face of emergency generators. Clarence Thomas sells hand-blessed, autographed copies of the Constitution. And Chief Justice Roberts calls out in a livestream: \u201cFor only 50 dollars a month, secure your personal right to habeas corpus!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
America has turned itself into an absurd subscription system. For 9.99 dollars a month, you can watch Netflix - but not expect a fair verdict. The state that spends trillions on wars, drones, and presidential golf trips has no money left to pay its judges. The \u201cchecks and balances\u201d have finally become checks without coverage. And while protesters outside the Supreme Court hold up their signs - for minority rights, against gerrymandering, against Trump\u2019s tariffs - somewhere in a basement an employee is wondering whether the seal of Justice could be auctioned on eBay. Maybe it would bring enough to pay for another week of light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the highest court empties its accounts, Donald Trump dines in Mar-a-Lago on lobster and champagne. The president who wanted to make the country \u201cgreat\u201d again for the second time has succeeded in turning the top pillar of the separation of powers into a welfare office with judicial shine. But not to worry: according to the official statement, the Court will continue to perform its \u201cconstitutional functions.\u201d Article III of the Constitution guarantees, after all, that judges will continue even when the system collapses - as long as they can still find enough paper for rulings and warrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So this is what dictatorship after democracy looks like: the judiciary works unpaid, the government is in perpetual conflict, and the White House resembles a gold-plated casino. The United States - once a model of the rule of law - has become a place where laws are pronounced on credit. Maybe they should change the motto at the Supreme Court. Instead of \u201cEqual Justice Under Law,\u201d simply:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJustice - subject to available funding.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n