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Opinion L.A.

Opinion: Backdoor justice

By Michael McGough
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When I covered the U.S. Supreme Court, I was happy to enter through a side entrance rather than ascend the steps to the majestic front entrance. It wasn’t just laziness; the marble steps were hard on a once-broken leg that still bothers me.

Even so, I was disappointed to learn that the court -- apparently by a 7-2 vote -- has decided to close that entrance to court groupies, tourists and other visitors. The reason, of course, is security -- and the court had the good PR fortune to make its announcement during a week in which the nation is fixated on the threat of terrorism.

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That said, I agree with Justice Stephen G. Breyer. Waxing semi-poetic, Breyer wrote: ‘To many members of the public, this court’s main entrance and front steps are not only a means to, but also a metaphor for, access to the court itself.’

‘Metaphor, shmetaphor,’ I can hear some security hawks thinking. But Breyer has a point. The court should look for a way to maintain security while honoring the motto of ‘Equal Access Under Law.’ Maybe the solution is a checkpoint at the bottom of the steps.

-- Michael McGough

Opinion L.A.
Michael McGough

Michael McGough is the Los Angeles Times’ former senior editorial writer, based in Washington, D.C. He wrote editorials for The Times from 2006 to 2021. Before that, McGough worked for 30 years for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as a reporter, editorial writer, editorial page editor and Washington correspondent. He wrote about law, national security, politics, foreign policy and religion. McGough is a graduate of Allegheny College and also attended the University of Kent at Canterbury in England and Yale Law School, where he received a master of studies in law degree.

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