A Holiday Card from SCOTUS! Well, Not Quite

The return address on the envelope was Washington, D.C. When I slipped it open, there was the smiling visage of Chief Justice John Roberts, framed by a festive holiday wreath, next to the message:

Happy Holidays!
Here’s what the Supreme Court has been up to.

But when I opened it, something was not right. It appeared to be a holiday message from the chief justice, but several parts of it were redacted, with whole phrases covered by a thick black line.

Read on and you reach a disclaimer:

This card is a parody and not actually from Chief Justice Roberts.

And also this:

They shroud themselves in secrecy and make their own rules. The Supreme Court is our most powerful, least accountable branch of government.

In actuality, the card is from FixTheCourt.com, an organization devoted to bringing greater transparency to the Supreme Court. It would like to see the court be more explicit about recusals, adopt a code of ethics, provide more detailed financial disclosures, and provide greater access to court proceedings.

I’ll say this about it: It caught my attention. A clever, well-timed and executed campaign.