Hi,
The Supreme Court Historical Society exists to “preserve the court’s
history and educate the public about the court’s importance in American
life.” But in reality, this "charity" collects donations from those
seeking to influence the court. Donate enough money, and you can get
direct access to the nine justices. No surprise that corporations like
Chevron with cases pending before the court have been exploiting this
access for decades.^1
It is insane that this is a thing. Further proof (as if we really needed
more) that the lack of a Supreme Court Code of Ethics fully undermines our
democracy and the integrity of our institutions. The Supreme Court Ethics,
Recusal and Transparency Act would end this egregious corruption. Congress
MUST pass it.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition: Tell Congress to pass the Supreme Court Ethics,
Recusal and Transparency Act!
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The Society’s nonprofit status means it doesn’t have to disclose its
donors, but an investigation by the New York Times uncovered that over the
last few decades “At least $6.4 million came from corporations, special
interest groups, or lawyers and firms that argued cases before the
court.”^1 A charity so closely tied to the justices should not solicit
money from corporations and other special interests nevermind ones that
have matters before the court.
It’s not at all subtle either. Anti-abortion leader Rev. Rob Schenck has
admitted to making the society and its events part of his campaign to
influence the justices to take dogmatic positions against abortion.
Considering that Schenk has recently claimed to know the outcome of a 2014
case involving contraception and religious weeks before it was announced,
his relationship to Justice Alito has been legitimately scandalous.^2 This
relationship was obviously developed using the society. So how can this be
legal?
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.
Congress can fix this extremely problematic 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!
Thanks for taking action,
Miguel and the team at Demand Progress
[ [link removed] ]DONATE
Sources:
1. NY Times, “A Charity Tied to the Supreme Court Offers Donors Access to
the Justices,” [ [link removed] ]December 30, 2022.
2. NY Times, “Former Anti-Abortion Leader Alleges Another Supreme Court
Breach,” [ [link removed] ]November 19, 2022.
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