This month, the United States Supreme Court held, in a close decision, that the Constitution forbids a litigant from paying to elect a judge who will hear that litigant’s pending case. It might surprise readers that no federal law bars such a purchase of justice, but that is indeed the case – as long as the purchase comes through campaign contributions, not an outright bribe. Surprisingly, this decision was not a foregone conclusion, and its result upset many, including the Chief Justice of the United States. Yet the Constitution could hardly have afforded anything less. Justice cannot be so easily bought or sold....