Since sending you the below note about my Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act just last week, two (2) more revelations regarding the Supreme Court’s egregious lack of ethical standards have surfaced.
- ProPublica has reported that Justice Alito took a luxury fishing trip to Alaska with GOP megadonor and hedge fund manager Paul Singer — who later had cases before the Supreme Court after their rendezvous.
- CNN just reported that Justice Alito also enjoyed a trip to Rome last year funded by a conservative activist group that has filed briefs before the court in recent years — including the case that overturned Roe v. Wade.
This pile-on of conflicts of interests from Supreme Court Justices — a fishing trip here, a yacht vacation there — would be laughable if it wasn’t so damn infuriating.
I’m fighting with everything I’ve got to make the Supreme Court finally follow a binding Code of Conduct. Read about my plan below — and if you’re able, please chip in $15 or anything you can to power this fight and help get this done.
Thanks for being a part of this,
Elizabeth
-----Forwarded message-----
From: Elizabeth Warren ([email protected])
Date: Wed, June 14, 2023
Subject: Yes, Justice Clarence Thomas, we’re looking at you
There are only nine federal judges who aren’t bound by an enforceable code of conduct.
They all serve on the Supreme Court.
And we’ve all seen the consequences.
Justices ruling on cases with personal and financial conflicts of interests. Refusing to recuse themselves from cases that could impact their own family members. Speaking at events and attending all-expenses-paid trips funded by groups doing business before the Court.
Look: the honor system just isn’t cutting it. We need a binding, enforceable code of conduct to ensure that members of the nation’s highest court are held to the highest standard of ethics.
So last week, Representative Pramila Jayapal and I reintroduced our Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act to make it happen. Congress needs to see that the American people are demanding action — will you add your name as a grassroots cosponsor today?
Here’s some of what this sweeping package of reforms would accomplish:
- Make the Supreme Court follow a binding Code of Conduct
- Ban federal judges from owning individual stocks
- Tighten restrictions on gifts and privately funded travel (yes, Justice Clarence Thomas, we’re looking at you)
- Overhaul the broken recusal process (once again looking at you, Justice Thomas)
- Create new tools to hold judges accountable for ethical misconduct
And here’s one reason why rooting corruption out of the judiciary is so powerfully important: the public’s trust in our judicial system is plummeting.
When someone has their day in court, they shouldn’t have to wonder whether the judge in front of them is making decisions based on their financial interests rather than the rule of law. But that’s exactly what our current setup enables. And it’s crying out for reform.
I’ll keep fighting to clean house and restore public confidence in the courts by passing the Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act. But I can’t do it alone.
Please add your name to say you support tackling corruption in our federal judiciary — and let’s fight side by side to get this done.
Thanks for being a part of this,
Elizabeth
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