The Supreme Court of the United States. Nine unelected people, appointed for life, who decide the law of the land for more than 340 million people. In 2023 and 2024, reporting revealed that Justice Clarence Thomas had received over a million dollars in undisclosed gifts, travel, and real estate benefits from a Republican megadonor over two decades. Private jet flights. Superyacht vacations. His mother's house purchased and renovated. He did not recuse himself from cases involving that donor's interests. He did not resign. He faced no legal consequence. The Senate held hearings. People expressed concern. Committees wrote letters. Thomas continued ruling on cases. The megadonor continued donating. If this happened in the government of a country that America was targeting for sanctions, it would be cited in State Department human rights reports as evidence of systemic judicial corruption requiring international intervention. When it happens in Washington, it is a controversy that is resolved by waiting until people stop paying attention. And people always, reliably, stop paying attention.