Dear John,
Supreme Court corruption is completely out of control. Conservative justices have accepted undisclosed gifts from billionaires with business before the court.1 Dark-money groups are wielding influence over a Trump-packed court. And there is no enforceable code of ethics to deal with conflicts of interest or provide transparency.
It's time for the Senate's Democratic leadership to hold hearings investigating the illegal and ethical conduct of Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito as well as other forms of corruption and conflict in the court. This must include subpoenas for right-wing megadonor Harlan Crow, sweeping investigations, and a vote on the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act (SCERT), which would require the Supreme Court to adopt and abide by a code of conduct.
Sign the petition now to ask Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin, and the members of the U.S. Senate to combat the corruption at the Supreme Court with sweeping investigations and reforms.
Sign Now
Right-wing billionaires have invested tens of millions to gain influence over the Supreme Court. They've worked with Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to pack the court with conservative justices. They've funded cases to upend abortion rights, shatter precedent, and increase corporate power.
And as revealed by recent blockbuster revelations, these billionaires have showered gifts on conservative justices including Thomas and Alito—who have not disclosed these gifts for years or recused themselves from cases where there would be an apparent conflict of interest.2
Furthermore, Justice Thomas's wife—conservative super-activist Ginni Thomas—has helped create and advise these networks of conservative donors and advocates.3 Yet Justice Thomas has never recused himself from cases involving her work—including cases around Donald Trump's efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 election, in which Ginni Thomas was directly implicated.4
Despite hundreds of thousands in gifts, rampant conflicts of interest, and a historically low level of public trust in the integrity of the court, Chief Justice John Roberts has refused to act. And while Democrats in Congress have held the first hearings about a judicial code of ethics for the Supreme Court, they have not gone far enough, while Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Alito, Crow and others have dismissed congressional efforts to rein in the court.5
Our senators need to use their power to curtail the corruption of the Supreme Court and take significant steps to restore its balance and integrity.
Sweeping investigations and a vote on ethics reforms are steps that are important—and within the power of today's Democratic majority.
Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.
Thanks for all you do.
–MoveOn
Sources:
1. "Clarence Thomas' 38 Vacations: The Other Billionaires Who Have Treated the Supreme Court Justice to Luxury Travel," ProPublica, August 10, 2023
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-other-billionaires-sokol-huizenga-novelly-supreme-court
2. "Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court," ProPublica, June 20, 2023
https://www.propublica.org/article/samuel-alito-luxury-fishing-trip-paul-singer-scotus-supreme-court
3. "What Ginni Thomas and Leonard Leo wrought: How a justice’s wife and a key activist started a movement," Politico, September 10, 2023
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/10/ginni-thomas-leonard-leo-citizens-united-00108082
4. "Ginni Thomas reportedly pressed Trump's chief of staff on overturning the election," NPR, March 25, 2022
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/25/1088720571/ginni-thomas-tex-messages-mark-meadows-2020-election
5. "Congress Can’t Force Ethics Code on Supreme Court, Alito Says," Bloomberg Law, July 28, 2023
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/congress-cant-force-ethics-code-on-supreme-court-alito-says
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