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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is highly respected for her intellect and dedication on the U.S. Supreme Court. But she recently crossed an important line by publicly criticizing one of the presidential candidates.

“I can’t imagine what this place would be — I can’t imagine what the country would be — with Donald Trump as our president,” Ginsburg told the New York Times. “For the country, it could be four years. For the court, it could be — I don’t even want to contemplate that.”

In offering such comments, Ginsburg is in one sense just joining the millions of Americans critical of the controversial Republican presidential hopeful. But Ginsburg’s role is different from that of regular citizens. Judges have a duty to avoid entangling themselves with partisan politics. This isn’t a mere nicety. It’s a vital principle of justice.

Our country’s legal system rests on the idea that cases should be decided in an impartial manner based on legal considerations, not partisan political ones.

This is why the federal Code of Conduct for United States Judges states that judges must not “publicly endorse or publicly oppose another candidate for public office.” Prohibited, too, is making speeches on behalf of political organizations or making campaign donations to candidates.