The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted to advance legislation that would require the U.S. Supreme Court to adopt a binding code of ethics
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday — for the first time — voted to advance legislation that would require the U.S. Supreme Court to adopt a binding code of ethics more stringent disclosure requirements and explain recusal decisions to the public.
The vote was 11-10 along party lines, with all Democrats in support and all Republicans opposed. The bill — “Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act” — is now cleared for a full Senate vote.
“We are here because the highest court in the land has the lowest standards for ethics anywhere in the federal government,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., who sponsored the measure.
The move follows a wave of news reports that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito failed to disclose ties to wealthy businessmen and political donors, including acceptance of luxury travel and accommodations, and that Justice Sonia Sotomayor used taxpayer-funded court staff to help sell her books.
Alito personally defended himself — arguing, in a rare op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal, that he acted appropriately. In Thomas’ case, he maintained that he thought he didn’t have to disclose those ties; while in Sotomayor’s case, the court said she and the others had been urged to follow proper protocols.
“This is a bill not designed to make the court stronger or more ethical, but to destroy a conservative court,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., ahead of the vote. “It’s a bill to rearrange the makeup of how the court governs itself.”
The bill would mandate greater oversight of the justices — binding them to the same disclosure rules for gifts, travel and income as apply to lower court judges — and create a system to investigate complaints about their behavior.
