Friends -
Last week, news broke that Justice Clarence Thomas has been accepting luxury gifts and trips for decades from Harlan Crow, a right-wing billionaire who frequently has cases before the Supreme Court. It is the clearest, most brazen violation of judicial ethics you can imagine.
These gifts went unreported and so far Justice Thomas faces no consequences because the Supreme Court is the only federal court without a binding ethical code.
In every Congress for over a decade, I've introduced the Supreme Court Ethics Act. It's time to pass it.
ADD YOUR NAMEWe frankly should not be surprised that this happened. This news comes not even a year after reports of Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife being involved in the events of January 6th.
Harlan Crow is not some apolitical pal of Thomas. Crow constantly has cases before the court and funds groups that argue for outcomes that benefit him. One group filed eight briefs before the Supreme Court, and Thomas sided with Crow in all eight cases.
Every federal judge is subject to a code of conduct — except for the nine who sit on the Supreme Court.
This is outrageous. Congress cannot allow for Supreme Court justices to so brazenly flout the conflict of interest rules that apply to every other federal judge.
My Supreme Court Ethics Act fixes this by requiring the Judicial Conference, which governs federal courts, to create a binding code of conduct that applies to all federal judges and justices.
Support for this legislation is growing in Congress by the day, but we cannot lose momentum.
Past is prologue, and we must take immediate action to bolster confidence in the Supreme Court.
Every best wish,
Chris Murphy
ADD YOUR NAMEPaid for by Friends of Chris Murphy
Friends of Chris Murphy
PO Box 230987
Hartford, CT 06123
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