Sign The Petition: We need a Supreme Court code of conduct.
John, another Supreme Court justice has been caught taking free, unreported trips from billionaire GOP megadonors.
That’s right: Justice Samuel Alito took an unreported $100,000 private jet trip to Alaska on billionaire donor Paul Singer’s dime. [1] And it all comes back to Leonard Leo, the same right-wing Federalist Society executive who covertly funneled money to Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife. [2]
And similar to Justice Thomas, Alito never recused himself from the cases his billionaire benefactor’s hedge fund had before the Court.
The Supreme Court’s legitimacy is under threat in part because of these repeated ethical lapses. Wealthy mega-donors should not be wining, dining, and flying Supreme Court justices to purchase access and influence. We deserve to have confidence that the Court’s decisions are fair, impartial, and based on the rule of law.
It’s been proven time and time again: our highest court cannot be its own ethics referee. Tell Congress to pass a Supreme Court code of conduct and hold them to the same standards as all other federal judges >>
Just months ago, we learned that Justice Clarence Thomas received potentially millions in massive undisclosed gifts and luxury travel from a billionaire benefactor. Now, new reporting from ProPublica reveals Samuel Alito following suit.
These scandals have gone unaddressed for embarrassingly long. Common Cause first shined a spotlight on this problem in 2011, and we’ve been demanding a strong code of conduct for the Supreme Court’s ethics ever since – because our highest court should be held to the highest ethical standards.
Every other judge – and other federal workers – are held to much higher standards to avoid even the appearance of corruption. The Senate has held high-profile hearings on this issue in recent weeks. And now it’s time for action. .
We can’t allow wealthy donors to buy Supreme Court votes – and even the appearance of this kind of corruption chips away at the public’s trust in our justices, the Supreme Court, and our democracy.
We need a transparent and binding Supreme Court code of conduct to ensure our justices are acting independently, honestly, and with respect for the law.
Add your name if you agree: Congress must pass a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court – and ensure that our highest court is held to the highest ethical standards.
Thanks for all you do,
Stephen Spaulding, Vice President for Policy & External Affairs
and the team at Common Cause
[1] https://www.propublica.org/article/samuel-alito-luxury-fishing-trip-paul-singer-scotus-supreme-court
[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/05/04/leonard-leo-clarence-ginni-thomas-conway/