It’s impossible to overstate the earthquake this will cause inside the Court, in terms of the destruction of trust among the Justices and staff. This leak is the gravest, most unforgivable sin.
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) May 3, 2022
I thought "the gravest, most unforgivable sin" was an absurd overstatement. I can think of far more horrible sins. Murder springs to mind first. Mass murder. Torture murder. And so on.
But I realized, no, in Dante's "Inferno," the lowest circle of hell is not for murder. It's for treachery:
Trapped in the ice, each according to his guilt, are punished sinners guilty of treachery against those with whom they had special relationships. The lake of ice is divided into four concentric rings (or "rounds") of traitors corresponding, in order of seriousness, to betrayal of family ties, betrayal of community ties, betrayal of guests, and betrayal of lords. This is in contrast to the popular image of Hell as fiery; as Ciardi writes, "The treacheries of these souls were denials of love (which is God) and of all human warmth. Only the remorseless dead center of the ice will serve to express their natures. As they denied God's love, so are they furthest removed from the light and warmth of His Sun. As they denied all human ties, so are they bound only by the unyielding ice." This final, deepest level of hell is reserved for traitors, betrayers and oathbreakers (its most famous inmate is Judas Iscariot).
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And what trust have you betrayed, Althouse?
Me? I'm gonna get ice skates.
Visitor's guide to the 9 circles of hell.
First Circle: Limbo
The first circle is home to the unbaptized and virtuous pagans. It’s not Heaven, but as far as Hell goes, it isn’t too bad: It’s the retirement community of the afterlife. Hippocrates and Aristotle will be your neighbors, so any attempt at small talk will probably turn into Big Talk in a hurry. You’ll have television, but all of the channels will be set to CSPAN.
The long march through the institutions has not been interrupted. Nay, I declare that it's still proceeding exactly as planned. The primary goal of the 'long march' is to destroy those entities that do not submit to infiltration.
I hate Trump, but it was appalling how he was treated by some of his "lawyers." An absolute disgrace and a betrayal of what this profession supposedly stood for. The Supreme Court leak is just more of the same.
The Rules or Professional Responsibility, the duties of loyalty and confidentiality, no longer apply if the politics are deemed "important" enough.
The gravest, most unforgivable sin would be to return to the state legislatures the jurisdiction to make abortion laws.
In order to prevent such a sin, a law clerk of Justice Breyer felt morally compelled to leak the Dobbs draft opinion to her husband's journalist colleague.
Exactly correct.
I suppose this circles of hell analogy may be true, unless one views the original Roe V. Wade decision as traitorous and breaking the judicial oath of interpreting the actual law.
"Breaking news: D.C. found to be full of lying, back-stabbing, double-dealing a**holes."
This is a tempest in a teacup. It merely shifts the ideological and political biases of the court from private to public. We've seen decades of unsurprising 5/4 decisions, where one side turned a blind eye to the law or context.
We saw Bork get Borked. We saw Clarence Thomas get Pepsi-canned, and we saw The Ginsberg Rule come into effect. We saw Kavanaugh get...Clintoned? We saw Ketanji Brown Jackson defer to biologists to define "woman."
You shall reap what you sow.
Now came I (and with fear I bid my strain
Record the marvel) where the souls were all
Whelm'd underneath, transparent, as through glass
Pellucid the frail stem. Some prone were laid,
Others stood upright, this upon the soles,
That on his head, a third with face to feet
Arch'd like a bow. When to the point we came,
Whereat my guide was pleas'd that I should see
The creature eminent in beauty once,
He from before me stepp'd and made me pause.
"Lo!" he exclaim'd, "lo Dis! and lo the place,
Where thou hast need to arm thy heart with strength."
-Inferno, Canto 34. Dante Alighieri
most unforgivable sin
Pretty sure, that the unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
Which, if you take our Government to be religion.. Sums up nearly Every Democrat, Every Day
Isn't the Holy Spirit of our Government: Freedom of Speech/Press/Religion, and the Right to Assemble?
Without knowing who the leaker is, this may be premature, or looking in the wrong place. The betrayal could have been upstream. Someone assumed a "special relationship" where it did not exist or the betrayal could have been a simple matter of carelessness.
Like the often incorrect use of the "snitches get stitches" rule. A bystander has no special relationship and no obligation. Exposing someone a secret is an imposition.
I took the "gravest sin" comment as relating to trust among the Justices.
It's great the way you go off the beaten track. I've done just a little work on the Inferno, inspired partly by a priest/scholar named Ernest Fortin. Dante doesn't just repeat or expand on Catholic orthodoxy, even though the Church found the work so useful, they adopted it except for the parts about Cardinals taking bribes. There are two Romes: the new one of Dante's time, Catholic, and the old one of Virgil's time, obviously not Christian. There is something to be said for the old one, especially its patriotism and other kinds of non-Christian virtue. Dante moves people around in the levels of hell (and the vestibule just outside) in surprising ways, indicating there are real debates about who is admirable and who is not, and the Church may not always or usually be correct. The treatment of sodomy is interesting; might be compared to Lawrence v. Texas. Limbo is fascinating, and has nothing to do with unbaptized infants--practically the only category of people the Church discusses in this connection today. There are great pagan heroes there, especially Aristotle, "master of those who know." Yes, the Church had found ingenious ways of baptizing Aristotle's works, but they are not Christian works.
I'd argue the most infamous inmate of Hell is the Devil.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Dante)#Ninth_Circle_(Treachery):
"In the very centre of Hell, condemned for committing the ultimate sin (personal treachery against God), is the Devil, referred to by Virgil as Dis (the Roman god of the underworld; the name "Dis" was often used for Pluto in antiquity, such as in Virgil's Aeneid). The arch-traitor, Lucifer was once held by God to be fairest of the angels before his pride led him to rebel against God, resulting in his expulsion from Heaven. Lucifer is a giant, terrifying beast trapped waist-deep in the ice, fixed and suffering."
Whether or not it is the gravest of sins, I don't know. But treachery of this nature, such a betrayal of confidence - it would be right up there among a moral people.
Sure, every visitor to Hell wants to see Judas, right after Hitler, Mao and Stalin. There is a path to his patch of ice, with arrows pointing the way. There are many less famous but treacherous disloyal SOBs down there in the darker, less frequented corners of that Ninth Circle, equally deserving of denunciation by all right-thinking souls. But hey, they are already in Hell for all eternity, so eff them, let's have fun.
I have to confess, I'm a little confused about where all this outrage is coming from. If anyone on the Court has ever "trusted" the Commies, he was deluded. There's a war going on, and the other side is not your friend. In fact, they are called the Enemy.
I thought "the gravest, most unforgivable sin" was an absurd overstatement. I can think of far more horrible sins. Murder springs to mind first. Mass murder. Torture murder. And so on.
1: As you figured out, it was, correctly, about treachery.
Now, if you think that the 9 members of SCOTUS always just have their minds made up, and no one ever writes an argument that changes another justice's mind, then The Leak is no big deal.
But if you want the members talking with each other, and trying to change minds (something I'd think would be important to you when the Court is 6 - 3 "against you"), then The Leak, which makes that less likely, comes under the heading of "a really bad thing"
2: On the assumption that The Leak was to try to derail the Alito train, then they're supporting mass murder (millions of abortions) and Torture murder (which is a pretty good description of a partial birth abortion, and most other late term abortions).
Murder springs to mind first. Mass murder. Torture murder.
That brings the obvious to mind: If the unborn is a life, and the unborn can feel pain, and there are 63 million of them aborted, does that not qualify as murder. Mass murder, Torture murder (in some cases)?
I understand that as a dead white man (dead these 701 years) Dante is unworthy of our attention in the brave new world of woke America, but I think the old guy was on to something here. And treachery is the right word. To use treason, as I have seen done, doesn't work in my opinion. Treason due to its penumbras and emanations seems to limit itself to wartime treason against the state whereas treachery is of more universal application. Naturally, those whose only measure of morality is how useful it is to the cause don't see a problem with the leak as it appears to advance their cause. They may regret this if it turns out to be a nothing burger electorally.
Honestly, I haven't heard many people talking about abortion "rights" in recent years. I thought people were used to the system as it had evolved.
My impression was that there was acceptance of early-term abortions, declining support for later-term abortions, and revulsion at the idea of killing babies who could survive outside the womb. Also, awareness that abortifascient pills could be obtained through the mail and pretty much negated any state's legislation on the matter. Said shorter: That people (okay, women) would make their own decisions.
The treachery in this case is trying to stir up outrage by tossing a paper tiger into the air so noble office-seekers of one party can prove their rectitude by wrestling the paper tiger to the ground.
Long ago, RBG acknowledged the flimsy logic on which Roe v. Wade was based. She hoped Congress would enact legislation addressing the issue. Neither party, over almost a half century, had the guts to take up the matter.
She was a more honest person than any of the participants in this cheap theatrical
ploy.
Dante, yes. But also it’s Scotus Blog.
This is what they do… comment on the Supreme Court (and before live streaming of arguments and decision announcements, they were the only (virtually only? Main?) source who would have a reporter go into the Court on opinion days and report back on each decision as announced. And the “Live Blog” reported out to us. At the time it was the fastest method, and poor Lyle apparently had to keep running in and out because cell phones weren’t allowed inside.
I think, in that context, where they worked everyday within the rules and confidentiality structure of the court, they (maybe uniquely) have the right to describe the “leak” as the “gravest, most unforgivable, sin” without it being an “absurd overstatement.”
The leak is a welcome introduction to the real flesh and blood world. Shocking for legalistic asswipes whom bow down to clowns in Black Robes. The Kubota Theatre of non political independence needs to be exposed to the people who pay the frights and are obliged to obey.
>Ann Althouse said...
I thought "the gravest, most unforgivable sin" was an absurd overstatement. I can think of far more horrible sins. Murder springs to mind first. Mass murder. Torture murder. And so on.<
This is a new one for me, I believe: Someone making an absurd overstatement in the process of deriding an (supposedly) absurd overstatement. SCOTUSblog was painfully obviously referring to the context of the confines of the Supreme Court - not to the streets of Chicago or to the alleyways of Bucha. As soon as a murder or mass murder or a torture murder occurs in the Supreme Court building, I'm sure that SCOTUSblog will amend its "absurd" statement and clear things right up for you, Ann.
"There's a war going on, and the other side is not your friend. In fact, they are called the Enemy."
😬 My neighbors are not my enemies! Are yours!? I keep being told that I have hate the people to disagree with me.
I keep wondering; who are these people who *honestly* detest 50% of the people they meet? What a horrible, miserable life they must live to meet "enemies" every day. Each one will some day be dead on a slab having spent a misable life hating their enemy neighbor instead of sharing a beer with them a swapping stories.
I don't believe that this is a war. The leak is only atrocious becaue this ISNT a war. If this were war, the leak would be appropriate. Hell if this was a war, the leak may be moral imperative.
But we are NOT at war. We are not enemy combatants. We are fellow citizens that exist under the same laws and processes. When those laws and processes break down (and they are thanks to the "we are at war" mentality) we are all royally fucked. (Conservatives will be way more fucked than lefties.)
Howard said...
The leak is a welcome introduction to the real flesh and blood world. Shocking for legalistic asswipes whom bow down to clowns in Black Robes
So, Howard thinks that Lawrence v Texas, Roe, Casey, and Obergefell are all BS inflicted on us by "clowns in Black Robes"?
Howard, are you a right wing troll, just doing your best to make the Left look really stupid and pathetic?
Howard sees it as it is, and calls it as he sees it.
But Burroughs said it better;
"As always the lunch is naked. If civilized countries want to return to Druid Hanging Rites in the Sacred Grove or to drink blood with the Aztecs and feed their Gods with blood of human sacrifice, let them see what they actually eat and drink. Let them see what is on the end of that long newspaper spoon.”
'This is a reference to "The Inferno" — to the 9th Circle of Hell — right?' Unlikely. It may share the same common idea.
But I think the author might have agreed that murdering one of the Justices is even worse, but they weren't talking about things like that.
Kubota Theatre
I love it when backhoes, excavators and even bulldozers get up on stage. Such "moving" performances.
Whelan for the win.
Howard, Kubota is a tractor company.
Sure, Itchiku Kubota (a textile merchant) supported shingeki theater in Japan since pre-WWII, but I think you meant Kabuki Theater, or Theatre, dontchaknow?
Although Kubota Theater might be a wondrously surreal thing, in itself. Tractors doing Hamlet, in Central Park of a midsummer's eve.
Huh. Its almost like the conservative justices are irate that their right to privacy was infringed! I have no idea what that muust feel like...
In Dante's Inferno, he sorted his sinners from least to worst based on how much thought they put into their sin. The first circle is Limbo, which is persons who are not in heaven due to a technicality. Then we get lust, gluttony, greed, and wrath, which are emotional sins. After that you get people who had to actively think about what they were doing, starting with heretics who put thought into their sin but at least thought they were doing the right thing, followed by violence, fraud, and treachery. Satan, the ultimate traitor, is at the bottom. In this cosmology murder, while a grave sin, is the not worst possible sin. Someone who is murdered can still go to heaven. The more you are like Satan, the closer you get to be to him.
The frozen sea was a plot point in Larry Niven's and Jerry Pournelle's Inferno and the sequel Escape From Hell. In their imagined hell, it was possible for the damned to be redeemed or at least improve their position, and that's hard to do when unable to move or, in some cases, completely encased. They find a... creative solution for those sinners. How many took advantage of it is an open question.
"My neighbors are not my enemies!"
So, you don't have children?
"I hate Trump, but ..."
Oh. Sorry. I thought you were serious about the "no enemies" thing. My bad.
The person who wrote this: Each one will some day be dead on a slab having spent a misable life hating their enemy neighbor instead of sharing a beer with them a swapping stories.
Also wrote this: I hate Trump
“Murder springs to mind first.”
What is it that dehumanizes the unborn, for you?
"Howard, are you a right wing troll, just doing your best to make the Left look really stupid and pathetic?"
No. He's really that deficient.
I thought "the gravest, most unforgivable sin" was an absurd overstatement.
You're overthinking it. And also trying to ram a square peg into a round hole. The key word there is "unforgivable." And in the legal sense that means permanent disbarment from the legal profession. And rightly so. Whether the betrayal is the violation of Court confidentiality or the violation of the attorney-client privilege, it demonstrates a complete and utter lack of fitness to practice law.
As for the religious context of "the gravest, most unforgivable sin," from the Christian perspective, the most unforgivable sin -- actually, the ONLY unforgivable sin -- is not murder, even mass murder. That horror is eminently forgivable. Even the mass murder of 70 million innocent human lives in the womb.
No, the one and only unforgivable sin is the sin of refusing or otherwise failing to accept forgiveness. To be effective, forgiveness must be accepted. If not accepted, if one refuses forgiveness, it will not be - it cannot be - imposed upon the person.
"I thought "the gravest, most unforgivable sin" was an absurd overstatement. I can think of far more horrible sins. Murder springs to mind first. Mass murder. Torture murder."
Do you have a "ridiculous literalism" tag?
The unpardonable sin is not against Jesus, but against the Holy Ghost.
It is, in a word, treason. For that, you have to know that Jesus is the Christ—not just believe, but Know. Like, you’ve talked with Him; you have felt His nail prints, etc. Not just “I think He is the Messiah” but actual knowledge…. And then turn on Him and spurn Him and follow Satan instead.
While Murder is very, very hard to get forgiven for, even David, who murdered Bathsheba’s husband, was given a promise that the Lord would not “leave his soul in hell.” But treachery against the Lord, when you KNOW He is God? That’s not forgivable.
Thus Judas in the 9th circle of Hell, along with lots of others that, thankfully, I am not.
I might go someplace else in hell, of course, but at least I haven’t rebelled against certain knowledge of the Lord.
Where's the treachery?
Does a clerk work for The Court, or for their own Justice?
If this was indeed done by Sotomayor's clerk, then his actions were totally in keeping with serving her personal philosophy. BAMN.
Borges has a story where he points out the exemplar of perfect suffering in the Bible was not Christ but Judas. Judas suffered not just on earth, but then was condemned in posterity and finally, for all eternity, in Hell. He had a much tougher path than Christ. If we need divine suffering to redeem our fallen nature, perhaps our devotions should be directed to Judas...One of the early Church fathers, Tertullian iirc, has a passage where he says that one of the chief joys in Heaven is watching the sufferings of the damned. Sure, maybe for ten or twenty years but I can't help thinking that would eventually get old-- especially if it involved hot coals being shoved in various orifices. Nowadays we're a lot more merciful than God or Dante.
Obviously murder is worse than violating a personal confidence or a non disclosure agreement. But from a base functioning of society I think Dante is spot on. A society can not function if there is no trust among its members. Conversely murder exists and has existed in every society and it generally does not cause the downfall of that society. This value is why I, even though I consider myself somewhere in the pro-life camp, was very much against the Texas abortion bounty hunter law. Creating a system where neighbors are spying on neighbors breeds distrust.
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