The justices need a binding code of conduct. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
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Brennan Center for Justice
 
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Congressional Republicans’ response to former President Trump’s indictment in New York is out of line. GOP committee chairs have attacked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, attempted to subpoena a former prosecutor from his office, and demanded access to nonpublic documents about the local case — a misuse of congressional oversight that threatens the rule of law. Though the prosecution of a former president is undoubtedly a sensitive undertaking, any allegations of abuse should be addressed through ordinary legal processes in court, not partisan interventions by Congress.
The revelations about the lavish gifts and trips that Justice Clarence Thomas routinely received from a right-wing billionaire benefactor make clear that no public official should hold such power for so long. Not only do the Supreme Court’s members enjoy lifetime tenure, but it is also the only court in the country without a mandatory ethics code. Leaving the justices to police themselves has proved time and again to be a fallible approach that imperils the Court’s legitimacy. It’s past time to establish binding ethics rules and term limits to ensure impartiality at the Supreme Court.
Since Citizens United opened the floodgates to massive political spending by the rich, many cities and states have found ways to ensure fair representation. Public financing of campaigns has emerged as the most powerful reform available to check megadonors’ outsize influence and give everyday citizens a bigger say in politics.
The election denial movement faced a setback when midterm voters in battleground states roundly rejected candidates who echoed Trump’s lie of a stolen presidency. American democracy may have weathered the storm in 2022, but the crisis hasn’t been averted yet, and dangerous lies still pervade our elections. We need robust reforms to ensure free and fair elections in 2024 and beyond.
As the number of Americans in jails and prisons has skyrocketed, government agencies have forced the people behind bars and their relatives to cover the increasing costs of imprisonment. Incarcerated people are charged hefty fees for room and board, medical services, emails and phone calls, and commissary items. It all adds up to a significant financial burden. To help people successfully rejoin their communities after serving their time, we need to eliminate as many of these fees as possible.
Wisconsin’s April 4 election created a liberal majority on the state’s supreme court for the first time in 15 years, and it also gave Republicans a legislative supermajority. State lawmakers are already raising the possibility of using their power to impeach the court’s new progressive justice over political disagreements — an extreme departure from historic norms of judicial independence. The Brennan Center’s latest State Court Report newsletter explores the ways that Wisconsin’s conservative legislature might retaliate against the court.

 
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Virtual Events
 
Disinformation Nation: How Partisan Politicians Distort History
TODAY, 6–7 p.m. ET
Misinformation abounds on social media and cable news. A new book points out that this applies not only to current events but to our nation’s history as well. Join us for a live virtual conversation with the editors of the book, Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past, and some of the writers featured in it. RSVP today.
 
 
Making Congress Work in a Divided Nation
Wednesday, April 26, 1–2 p.m. ET
What can we learn about bipartisan collaboration from the committee system? What practical changes would make Congress more representative of the country as a whole? The Brennan Center is pleased to announce the premiere of a previously recorded conversation about making Congress more effective, featuring former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), political correspondent Daniel Strauss, and Dr. Maya Kornberg, Brennan Center Elections and Government Program research fellow and author of Inside Congressional Committees: Function and Dysfunction in the Legislative Process, moderated by Precision Strategies partner Mike Spahn. This premiere will include a live text chat Q&A with Kornberg. RSVP today.
 

 
 
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