Taint by Association

“ ‘I am, as so many Americans are, outraged that Merrick Garland does not sit on [the court] today,’ [Neal Katyal] said in his statement to the committee. ‘I have no doubt that if Merrick Garland had been confirmed and another vacancy had opened up, Judge Gorsuch would sail through close to 100-0. But that isn’t the world we are in. It is a tragedy of national proportions that Merrick Garland is not on the court.’” (The National Law Journal)

It was a lowdown, cryin’ shame
That Merrick Garland wasn’t seated,
Neal Katyal was heard to exclaim,
But even though his party cheated
To have usurper Gorsuch placed,
Neil Gorsuch should not be disgraced:

“Fair-minded and a decent man,
A first-rate intellect,” quoth Katyal,
“Well-honed to be custodian
Of law and legal virtues that y’all
Treasure so dear—he is a treasure
To be preserved by any measure.”

The measure of that preservation:
Wholesale dishonor on the court,
Henceforward serving not “the nation,”
The individual’s rights cut short,
Becoming “Justice for a fee”— 
Perceived so inescapably.

A man of honor may be taxed
To turn down an egregious bounty— 
“The chance to serve”—but once relaxed
Decorum (roadblocks to surmount), he
Has sacrificed longstanding name
For a dark shadow on the same.

What is a law court if not venue
For legal and juridical
Integrity to grace the menu,
A court not “packed” by cheat at all,
But having claimed a stolen seat,
Past virtue fizzles from the sheet.

Even let Merrick Garland vouch
For the usurper’s quality,
A justice is a Scaramouch
Who gains his place through villainy,
And all associated then
Bear taint—as lawyers and as men.