来源：《基督科学箴言报》
原文刊登日期：2022年5月4日
Outside the U.S. Supreme Court this week, passions ran high over the leak of a draft opinion that – if final – would overturn Roe v. Wade. Nationwide, those on either side of the landmark 1973 ruling quickly jumped into the political combat over abortion law. Inside the court, however, Chief Justice John Roberts did what judges often do for themselves: He tried to calm passions with a reminder of how an independent court must operate – with cool and collegial deliberation.
本周，在美国最高法院外，人们对一份意见书草稿的泄露情绪高涨，该草稿如果最终定案，将推翻罗伊诉韦德案。在全美范围内，这一1973年做出的具有里程碑意义的裁决的对立双方很快陷入了围绕堕胎法的政治斗争中。然而，在最高法院内部，首席大法官约翰·罗伯茨做了法官们经常为自己做的事情：他试图通过提醒人们一个独立的法院必须如何运作来平息人们的情绪——冷静而合议。
As expected, he ordered an internal investigation into who released the draft ruling, which was written by Justice Samuel Alito. In the spirit of honesty, he confirmed the draft is authentic. But he also assured the public that the 3-month-old draft “does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member” in a case involving a Mississippi law restricting abortion. A final ruling is expected by July.
不出所料，他下令进行内部调查，调查是谁公布了由大法官塞缪尔·阿利托撰写的裁决草稿。本着诚实的精神，他确认了草稿的真实性。但他也向公众保证，在这一涉及密西西比州限制堕胎法律的案件中，这项3个月前的草稿“不代表最高法院的决定或任何成员的最终立场”。最终裁决预计将于7月做出。
Then the chief justice wrote that the leaker’s possible intent to “undermine the integrity of operations ... will not succeed.” That reflects quite a confidence in the quality of the court’s workforce. The nine justices, their law clerks, and the court’s permanent employees alike are “intensely loyal to the institution and dedicated to the rule of law,” he affirmed.
然后首席大法官写道，泄密者可能意图“破坏最高法院办案的公正性……不会成功。”这反映出他对最高法院工作人员的素质相当有信心。他坚称，这九名大法官、他们的法律助理以及最高法院的长期雇员都“非常忠于最高法院，致力于法治”。
The leaked draft was a rare case of the veil of secrecy being ripped off the court’s internal workings. Such drafts are often passed among the justices for comment without fear of publicity. This allows for compromise and self-correction. Restoring the integrity of that process has probably already started.
这份草稿被泄露，是最高法院内部运作的秘密面纱被揭开的罕见案例。这样的草稿经常在大法官之间传阅，供他们发表评论，而不必担心会引起公众的注意。这允许妥协和自我纠正。恢复这一进程的公正性可能已经开始。
The justices may now also become more diligent in ensuring their discussions on cases – around a rectangular table in an oak-paneled room – are done in confidence. Their work requires free-flowing deliberations out of the public eye. That helps promote patient reflection and greater humility in weighing the law, the facts, and each other’s views rather than planting themselves in ideological corners.
大法官们现在可能也会更加努力地确保他们对案件的讨论——在橡木镶板的房间里，围坐在长方形的桌子旁——是在保密的情况下进行的。他们的工作需要公众视线之外的自由讨论。这有助于促进耐心反思，并在权衡法律、事实和彼此观点时更加谦逊，而不是将自己置于意识形态的角落。
“People go around the table. They discuss the question in the case,” Justice Stephen Breyer told CNN last year. “People say what they think. And they say it politely, and they say it professionally.”
“大法官们围坐在桌子旁。讨论案件中的问题，”大法官斯蒂芬·布雷耶去年告诉CNN。“大法官想说什么就说什么。他们说得很有礼貌，说得很专业。”
The justices do bring a measure of accountability by signing the published opinions, either in the majority or in a dissent. And their questioning of lawyers in a case is recorded for public use. But in insisting on privacy during internal deliberations, they hope they can better reason and listen together. This type of conversation offers an antidote to political divisions in the United States. That may be why the chief justice was so quick to assure Americans that the integrity of the court’s operation is intact.
大法官通过签署已发表的意见书，无论是以多数意见书还是以异议书，确实带来了一定程度的问责性。他们在案件中对律师的提问被记录下来供公众使用。但在内部讨论中坚持不受公众干扰，他们希望能够更好地进行推理和倾听。这种对话为美国的政治分歧提供了解药。这可能就是首席大法官如此迅速地向美国人保证最高法院运作的公正性完好无损的原因。