Supreme Court justices are the only judges nationwide without a binding ethics code. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
The scandal over political text messages from Ginni Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, has highlighted the need for a Supreme Court ethics code. The texts showed that she ardently supports the election denial movement, to the point of pressuring the White House chief of staff on behalf of antidemocratic efforts. Justice Thomas’s failure to recuse himself from cases related to his wife’s texts reflects less a gap in the law than a lack of tools for holding justices to it. The members of the Supreme Court are the only nine judges in the United States who do not currently have to follow a code of conduct — that has to change.
Election officials are the heroes who keep our democracy going — safeguarding elections through natural disasters, the Civil War, and the pandemic. But threats against these public servants have forced many to take drastic steps, like hiring security or changing their addresses. Per a recent Brennan Center poll, one in six election officials have experienced threats because of their job, and most believe the federal government isn’t doing enough to help. The people who keep our elections safe deserve to feel safe themselves. Congress must help protect election officials now.
The races for offices that administer elections were formerly sleepy contests for largely unknown bureaucrats, but the Big Lie of a “stolen” 2020 election has brought national attention. Our new series of Brennan Center resources focuses on these crucial elections in 10 swing states, tracking candidates’ statements about the legitimacy of American democracy. Each state’s page will be updated in the runup to November, when these races to decide who will run future elections will be decided.
Last week, the Biden administration revealed its new proposed budget, which continues a federal ban on the District of Columbia from using its own tax revenue to implement cannabis legalization. This limitation highlights the district’s limited control over its own affairs. It comes shortly after several leading House Republicans promised to restrict DC home rule even further if they retake the majority in the midterms. DC has the same population as several states, but some in Congress think that its residents shouldn’t even elect their own city government. Statehood is the only solution to grant district residents lasting and equal self-governance.
President Biden has nominated the most diverse set of judicial candidates in history, in terms of both demographics and professional experience — but how much can he tip the scales when it comes to diversity on the federal bench? A new Brennan Center assessment of upcoming vacancies and their potential impact on diversity finds that without expanding the size of the federal bench, the president’s power to diversify the judiciary will be greatly limited.
Last month, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) revealed that Homeland Security Investigations has been unjustly targeting Latinos by monitoring millions of money transfers between people in Mexico and the United States. This clear abuse of power is the latest in a pattern of stretching the agency’s mission to indiscriminately surveil and investigate immigrants of color, regardless of whether they are suspected of criminal activity. Mary Pat Dwyer argues that this program, conducted on flimsy legal grounds in possible violation of the Fourth Amendment, must be stopped.

 
Virtual Events
 
Universal Voting
Tuesday, April 12 // 6–7 p.m. ET
Twenty-six countries require participation in their elections. In 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting, co-authors E.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport argue that the United States should follow in their footsteps. After all, Americans are required to pay taxes and serve on juries. Join us for a conversation with the authors and New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés about universal voting and how to implement it. RSVP today.
 
Produced in partnership with New York University's John Brademas Center
 
 
Drawing the Line: How Redistricting Impacts Latino Communities
Hispanic Federation and the Brennan Center are co-hosting a series of discussions that will provide an update on the redistricting process in North Carolina, Florida, Texas, and Georgia. Panelists discuss the impact that the new maps will have on the Latino community, upcoming elections, and representation at all levels. You can watch the past events from North Carolina and Florida online.
 
Georgia: Thursday, April 14, 11 a.m. ET
Speakers: Gigi Pedraza, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Latino Community Fund Georgia // Yurij Rudensky, Senior Counsel, Democracy, Brennan Center // Jackie Colón, Southeast Regional Director, NALEO Educational Fund // Jerry Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer, GALEO // Genny Castillo, Regional Engagement Director, Southern Economic Advancement Project // Moderator: Frankie Miranda, President & CEO, Hispanic Federation

 
BRENNAN CENTER ON INSTAGRAM
BREAKING: The Senate just confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Read more on Instagram >>
 
 

 
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