Supreme Court Oath of Office

As a student of OakBrook College of Law, I receive articles written by the college staff on a regular basis. This is an article The Supreme Court Justices and other federal judges take the following oath of office: I, _________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as ______ under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God. The language of this oath is not in the Constitution, like the oath for the President. The Congress has prescribed the wording of the oath. See 28 U.S.C. 453. I wonder what impact it would have if Congress modified the oath of office for judges to include a commitment to the principles of the Declaration. This could be done as follows: " ... under the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States. So help me God." As you know, an oath of office is a serious matter. Maybe this language would cause the judges to consider the relevancy of the philosophy of government articulated in the Declaration when interpreting and applying specific provisions in the Constitution. Robert J. Barth Associate Dean