Team,

It’s been a big week: On Monday, the justices of the Supreme Court announced a code of ethics for themselves.

This is the first step in restoring trust in the Supreme Court, and one I’ve been working towards for a long time. But it is only the beginning, because rules with no umpire to enforce them aren't going to be enough with this Court.

There must be enforcement -- real fact-finding and honestly making the real findings public if a rule is violated.

Right now, the Supreme Court has built in no such process, leaving questions about the justices' misconduct unanswered. Every other federal judge is subject to an enforceable code of conduct. There are plenty of ways to set one up effectively.

And until we do, this new code of ethics will merely be decorative; it will not provide the accountability that the American people deserve. I will continue to push for my Supreme Court ethics bill – which would solve the problem of enforcement – as well as my Supreme Court term limits bill.

Americans deserve accountability and transparency from our highest court. If you support my work, I hope you’ll chip in to my re-election campaign so we can continue this fight together.

Thank you,

Sheldon Whitehouse

 

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