By law, the Chief Justice of the United States is a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents. In fact, according to the Institution’s bylaws, he’s the Board’s de facto leader, or “chancellor.”

And yet, few things can escape the scourge of partisanship these days, with the Smithsonian being among them.

That means the Chief Justice — and this is nothing against Roberts — should not be within shouting distance of what’s become so political an institution.

To change this, all it would take is a brief act of Congress, draft text of which is presented below:

The Supreme Court Excision from the Smithsonian Board of Regents Act

Section 1. Name.—

This legislation shall be referred to as the “Supreme Court Excision from the Smithsonian Board of Regents Act of 2026,” or “SCexit.”

Section 2. Removing the Chief Justice from the Smithsonian Board of Regents.—

The words “the Chief Justice of the United States” shall be stricken from section 42(a) of Title 20.

Section 3. Effective date.—

This legislation shall take effect upon enactment.

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For reference, 20 U.S.C. §42(a) currently stands as follows:

(a) The business of the Institution shall be conducted at the city of Washington by a Board of Regents, named the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, to be composed of the Vice President, the Chief Justice of the United States, three Members of the Senate, three Members of the House of Representatives, and nine other persons, other than Members of Congress, two of whom shall be resident in the city of Washington, and seven of whom shall be inhabitants of some State, but no two of them of the same State.