Hi,
There is an old saying, “a man is known by the company he keeps”.
With that in mind, let’s look at Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
His recent attendance at a private holiday party saw him alongside
deplorables like Stephen Miller, Matt Gaetz, and Sebastian Gorka.^1 The
right-wing organization Miller runs currently has cases before the Supreme
Court ^2, Gaetz is currently under investigation for sex trafficking^3,
and Gorka is a member of a literal neo-Nazi organization.^4
This isn’t just offensive, it should be illegal…but it isn’t. The federal
judicial code of ethics, which prohibits judges from fraternizing with
parties who have matters before them, DOES NOT APPLY to Supreme Court
Justices. Congress can amend this blatant oversight by passing the Supreme
Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition: Tell Congress to pass the Supreme Court Ethics,
Recusal and Transparency Act!
ADD YOUR NAME
One of the most unbelievable facts about our federal government is that
there are no formal ethics rules for Supreme Court justices. There is
NOTHING stopping them from owning stocks or hearing cases in which they
have conflicts of interest.
The implications here are disturbing. The Supreme Court is arguably the
most powerful institution in the country. Its justices are appointed for
life and are granted virtually unchecked power. There are no rules
regarding when they must recuse themselves or even reveal potential
conflicts of interest.^5
This is why Kavanaugh felt so comfortable attending that ultra right-wing
extremist Christmas party. It doesn’t matter that it was hosted by Matt
Schlapp, chair of the far-right American Conservative Union and the
organizer of the annual CPAC conference. It could have been a literal
campaign rally for Donald Trump and Kavanaugh would not have been breaking
any laws.
It’s outrageous that the justices of the Supreme Court do not have to
abide by the same ethics rules that all other federal judges and lawmakers
must abide by.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition: Tell Congress to pass the Supreme Court Ethics,
Recusal and Transparency Act!
Thanks for taking action,
Miguel and the team at Demand Progress
[ [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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