BROADCASTS.com

b'In theory, the Justices of the Supreme Court are immune to influence, with no campaigns to finance and no higher positions to angle for. But a cascade of\\xa0revelations published by ProPublica\\xa0concerning\\xa0Justice Clarence Thomas\\u2014island-hopping yachting adventures underwritten by\\xa0a right-wing billionaire patron, undisclosed real-estate transactions\\u2014raises questions about his proximity to power and money. Judges \\u201care supposed to be honest, they\\u2019re supposed to be independent,\\u201d Jane Mayer tells David Remnick. \\u201cAnd I think it stretches common sense to think that a judge could be independent when he takes that much money from one person.\\u201d Mayer co-wrote the book \\u201cStrange Justice,\\u201d about Clarence Thomas, almost thirty years ago, and last year reported on\\xa0Ginni Thomas\\u2019s influence in Washington. She notes that other Justices, including\\xa0the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, have accepted large gifts from politically connected donors. A deepening public distrust in the integrity of the Supreme Court, Mayer thinks, is dangerous for democracy. \\u201cThe glue that holds us together is the rule of law in this country,\\u201d she says. \\u201cPeople have to believe when they go in front of a court\\u2014and in particular the Supreme Court\\u2014that they\\u2019re getting a fair shake\\xa0.\\xa0.\\xa0. that it\\u2019s justice that\\u2019s going to prevail.\\u201d'