SHUT UP MADAM JUSTICE – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:  Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the United States Supreme Court has unloaded on Donald Trump, and neither Republicans nor Democrats are happy about it.  Getting involved in politics is simply not what judges do, especially judges on the nation's highest court.  From Fox: 

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg faced a growing and bipartisan backlash Wednesday -- including a call from Donald Trump to resign -- as she doubled down on her criticism of the presumptive GOP nominee, calling him a “faker” who is unqualified to be president.

Even political figures and newspaper editorial writers who might agree with the comments swiftly said they were out of line for a high court justice.

The liberal icon justice had kicked off the storm with comments to The New York Times published Saturday. “I can’t imagine what this place would be — I can’t imagine what the country would be -- with Donald Trump as our president. For the country, it could be four years. For the court, it could be -- I don’t even want to contemplate that,” she said.

She doubled down late Monday, telling CNN: “He is a faker."

"He has no consistency about him. He says whatever comes into his head at the moment. He really has an ego. ... How has he gotten away with not turning over his tax returns? The press seems to be very gentle with him on that," she said.

Trump swiftly responded Tuesday, telling the Times it was “highly inappropriate that a United States Supreme Court judge gets involved in a political campaign”

“I think it’s a disgrace to the court and I think she should apologize to the court. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it,” the presumptive Republican nominee said.

Trump’s criticisms were echoed by Republican congressional leaders. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday Ginsburg’s comments were "totally inappropriate.”

"It raises a level of skepticism that the American people have from time to time about just how objective the Supreme Court is, whether they're over there to call the balls and strikes, or weigh in on one side or another," he said.

House Speaker Paul Ryan used similar language at a CNN event Tuesday.

"For someone on the Supreme Court who is going to be calling balls and strikes in the future based upon whatever the next president and Congress does, that strikes me as inherently biased and out of the realm," Ryan said.

Ginsburg’s comments also left Democratic lawmakers squirming.

“We all know that the justices on the Supreme Court have political views. I’m not sure we’re well served by them airing them out in the open,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told Politico.

“She may have got out over her skis a little bit and more forthright and political than she should have been. It’s very unusual,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told the outlet.

COMMENT:  Grossly improper.  She's 83, and some people will cut her some slack, but maybe it's time to go.  She has compromised even the appearance of neutrality.  Please remember that the 2000 election, Bush versus Gore, wound up in the Supreme Court.  If something like that happens this year, Ginsburg would certainly have to recuse herself to maintain the Court's credibility...but she might refuse.  Age might have its privileges, but being on the Supreme Court is not one of them.

July 13, 2016