Hi,
Politico just broke a bombshell story reporting that Supreme Court Justice
Brett Kavanaugh attended a private holiday party with some of the most
notorious white supremacist members of the Trump White House.^1
Among those attending the party was Stephen Miller, the author of Trump’s
infamous family separation policy, who leads a right-wing organization
that has cases currently pending before the Supreme Court.^2
Others at the party included Matt Gaetz, the MAGA congressman under
investigation for sex trafficking, and Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump
official and a member of a neo-Nazi organization.^3,4
The federal judicial code of ethics prohibits the fraternizing of judges
with parties who have matters before them. So why didn't this stop
Kavanaugh? Because the Supreme Court the judicial code of ethics doesn't
apply to the Supreme Court.
[ [link removed] ]Enough is enough. We have to stop letting Supreme Court justices police
themselves. Will you donate $10 today and help urge Congress
to enact urgently needed ethical standards for the Supreme Court?
[ [link removed] ]Donate $10
[ [link removed] ]Donate $20
[ [link removed] ]Donate $40
[ [link removed] ]Or, donate another amount
Kavanaugh knew that the Beltway press would be covering who attended this
Christmas party, which was hosted by Matt Schlapp, chair of the far-right
American Conservative Union and the organizer of the annual CPAC
conference.
But Kavanuagh knew that even when the press did find out, there was
nothing anybody could do about it. There are no formal ethics rules for
Supreme Court justices, nor is there any law stopping them from owning
stocks or hearing cases in which they have conflicts of interest.
The Supreme Court has become the federal government’s most powerful body
of lawmakers, overturning Roe v. Wade, gutting local gun laws, unleashing
unlimited corporate money in politics, and more.
The nine justices are appointed for life, and despite their virtually
unchecked power, there are no rules regarding when they must recuse
themselves or even reveal potential conflicts of interest.^5 Brett
Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito could literally headline a
Trump rally and host a fundraiser in their Supreme Court chambers — and
they’d be doing it with legal impunity.
It is time for the justices of the Supreme Court to abide by the same
ethics rules that all other federal judges and lawmakers must abide by.
[ [link removed] ]That’s why we are urgently writing to you today to ask you to chip in
$10 and help power our work, including urging Congress to
pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act.
With gratitude for all you do,
Tihi and the team at Demand Progress Action
[ [link removed] ]DONATE
Sources:
1. Bloomberg Law, "Kavanaugh Holiday Party Appearance Raises Ethics
Questions," [ [link removed] ]December 12, 2022.
2. CNN, "Stephen Miller-led group emerges as top legal foe of Biden
initiatives," [ [link removed] ]December 15, 2022.
3. CNBC, "Prosecutors recommend against charging GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz in
sex trafficking probe, report says," [ [link removed] ]September 23, 2022.
4. WNYC Studios, "Trump Advisor Sebastian Gorka Accused of Having Nazi
Ties," [ [link removed] ]March 17, 2017.
5. Brennan Center for Justice, "Brennan Center Urges Supreme Court
Justices to Adopt a Code of Ethics," [ [link removed] ]September 24, 2019.
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