Hi,
For decades, SCOTUS and the rest of the federal judiciary have policed
their own ethics standards. It's been a complete disaster.
According to a new ProPublica expose, judiciary ethics and financial
disclosures are overseen by a secretive council of judges called the
Judicial Conference. The Conference is led by Chief Justice John Roberts
and oversees some 1,700 federal judges, including the Supreme Court
justices.^1
But instead of forcing judges—like Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito—to
follow ethics standards, the Judicial Conference has focused on preserving
perks like free travel and fighting calls for reform.^1 The body relies on
an “honor system” that allows judges to act with impunity. Congress must
act now to pass a real, enforceable code of conduct for federal judges.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition: The Supreme Court cannot be trusted to follow an
“honor system.” Congress must pass the Supreme Court Ethics Act now!
ADD YOUR NAME
In its decades of oversight authority, the Judicial Conference has failed
to hold even one federal judge accountable for ethics or disclosure
violations. When the Conference held a 2011 investigation into Clarence
Thomas’ failure to disclose his wife Ginni’s earnings from a prominent
right-wing think tank, it simply let Thomas off the hook.^1
This year’s scandals involving Justices Thomas, Alito, Roberts, and their
billionaire benefactors like Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo aren’t just
morally reprehensible. The injection of huge sums into our legal system
has led directly to a right-wing Court that’s gutted our reproductive
rights, decimated environmental protections, and more.^1
Next year, the right-wing Court has already announced plans to rule on
cases with potentially devastating consequences, such as the legality of
access to abortion pills.^3
Trusting the Supreme Court to police itself is what got us into this mess
to begin with. We need Congress to pass this bill to finally create a
real, binding code of conduct for our federal courts.
[ [link removed] ]Add your name: Take back the Supreme Court from right-wing
billionaires! Pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act.
Thanks for taking action,
Joey and the team at Demand Progress
[ [link removed] ]DONATE
Sources:
1. ProPublica, “The Judiciary Has Policed Itself for Decades. It Doesn’t
Work.,” [ [link removed] ]December 13, 2023.
2. ProPublica, “We Don’t Talk About Leonard: The Man Behind the Right’s
Supreme Court Supermajority,” [ [link removed] ]October 11, 2023.
3. MSNBC, “SCOTUS case on mifepristone access 'could have devastating
consequences for the entire country',” [ [link removed] ]December 16, 2023.
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