Politico just broke a bombshell story reporting that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh attended a private holiday party.

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.

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?

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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.

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

Sources:
1. Bloomberg Law, "Kavanaugh Holiday Party Appearance Raises Ethics Questions," December 12, 2022.
2. CNN, "Stephen Miller-led group emerges as top legal foe of Biden initiatives," December 15, 2022.
3. CNBC, "Prosecutors recommend against charging GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz in sex trafficking probe, report says," September 23, 2022.
4. WNYC Studios, "Trump Advisor Sebastian Gorka Accused of Having Nazi Ties," March 17, 2017.
5. Brennan Center for Justice, "Brennan Center Urges Supreme Court Justices to Adopt a Code of Ethics," September 24, 2019.

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