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Dear John,
As a lawyer, I believe in the critical role that our courts play in interpreting the Constitution and federal laws. I believe in judges who hold themselves to the highest ethical standards, are committed to equal rights, and understand the real-world implications of their decisions on my life, yours, and the lives of women, girls, people of color, and the LGTBQIA+ community. That’s why we need an enforceable judicial code of conduct and fair and impartial judges on our courts.
Not judges who’ve engaged in unethical behavior, as we’ve seen in the recent revelations about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. For years, Justice Thomas has allegedly taken lavish trips and received massive gifts from political donors seemingly in exchange for issuing biased, politically charged decisions. Let me be clear, Justice Thomas benefiting from these far-right mega donors’ gifts violates public disclosure laws (including the 1978 Ethics in Government Act) and is unbefitting of a public servant, let alone a justice on our highest court. At a time when approval of the Supreme Court is at historic lows, Justice Thomas’ decisions further erode public trust in the Supreme Court and our judiciary as a whole. We can’t let that happen.
We deserve to trust our court system to protect our rights, health, and safety. I want to trust that judges are holding themselves to the highest ethical standards, but they’ve proven they will not hold themselves accountable on their own. That is why we need Congress to maintain oversight over the federal judiciary and mandate an enforceable ethical code of conduct. We need Congress and the Department of Justice to investigate the reporting on Justice Thomas and hold him accountable.
The Supreme Court is the only federal court without a binding code of conduct. We need to restore checks and balances back into our federal government. Time and time again, the justices have failed to hold themselves to any degree of accountability and refused to implement the changes needed to restore faith and trust in the courts. Tell Congress and the Department of Justice this needs to change.
Our rights depend on it.
In solidarity,
Erinn D. Martin
she/her/hers
Director of Nominations and Cross-Cutting Policies
National Women's Law Center
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