John,

Last week was the Supreme Court’s final week of oral arguments. This summer, it will be releasing decisions on critical issues – from abortion care and gun rights to Trump’s “immunity” and the power of federal agencies.

With all eyes on the Supreme Court as it considers these critical cases, institutional integrity at the Court is more important than ever.

That’s why the ethics violations at the Court are so troubling – and it’s why CREW is fighting for judicial ethics reform. I explain more in my latest op-ed below, but first, I have an important question:

As I explain in my op-ed, ethics reform is a critically important project for an institution built entirely on public trust.

But in recent years, that trust has dwindled – and for good reason.

Last year, news broke that Justice Clarence Thomas was accepting – repeatedly – private plane trips, yacht cruises and luxury resort vacations without disclosing them, which indicates he likely violated the Ethics in Government Act.

Then more was exposed: Justice Samuel Alito went on a luxury trip paid for by a billionaire who had business before SCOTUS at least 10 times over the years that followed the trip.

The Supreme Court tried to address the public outcry by adopting a code of conduct for the first time – but that new code falls short. It is unenforceable and filled with provisions that would likely allow the justices to continue the same behavior and scandals.

Congress and the Supreme Court have an obligation to take further action to restore public trust in all three branches of government – especially in our Supreme Court. They need to strengthen U.S. public corruption laws to prevent government officials from abusing their public offices for private gain.

CREW has been pushing for this reform – testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of Supreme Court ethics, recusal and transparency. And that’s a fight we aren’t going to back down from any time soon.

Thanks for your continued support on this important issue,

Virginia Canter
Chief Ethics Counsel
CREW