Hi,

Another day, another damning revelation about the U.S. Supreme Court’s utter lack of ethics.

The New York Times has just revealed that Chief Justice John Roberts’s wife has been getting paid millions of dollars by corporations with cases before the court.¹

Exactly how much, and from whom? We don’t know, because the chief justice hasn’t disclosed a thing about the many high-powered law firms his wife has worked for as a recruiter. And because there’s no code of ethics requiring him to do so, he can get away with it.

This is just the latest ethics scandal to prove that the U.S. Supreme Court cannot be trusted to police itself. Will you donate today to Demand Progress Action to help power our work, including urging Congress to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act?

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The latest story comes on the heels of another bombshell investigation from the Times, detailing how a little-known charity connected to the court called the Supreme Court Historical Society has been raising millions from right-wing special interests that had major cases before the justices.

Of the nearly $11 million in donations the paper could trace, a whopping 60% came from parties who regularly do business before the court. None of it was disclosed to the public.

A sampling: Chevron gave $190,000 while the body considered major climate change cases. UPS gave more than half a million as the justices were considering a pregnancy discrimination suit against the company. A corporate lawyer who advocated on behalf of Purdue Pharma, the notorious manufacturers of OxyContin, gave $187,500.²

Now we learn from a complaint obtained by The New York Times that lawyers who argued cases before the Supreme Court were potentially making six-figure payments to the chief justice’s household.

It all sounds incredibly shady. Some of it might not be. But there’s no way for us to evaluate whether this violates ethics rules, because there are no rules.

The nine justices of the Supreme Court are appointed for life, and despite their virtually unchecked power, there are no policies regarding when they must recuse themselves or even reveal potential conflicts of interest.³

At a time when the Supreme Court is in the process of gutting decades of precedent on voting rights, abortion rights, civil rights, and countless other major issues affecting Americans' lives, Congress must finally act and impose a code of ethics on the justices.

Will you donate $10 today to help urge Congress to pass a code of ethics for the Supreme Court, and push for other key reforms?

With gratitude for all that you do,

Tihi and the team at Demand Progress Action

Sources:
1. The New York Times, "At the Supreme Court, Ethics Questions Over a Spouse’s Business Ties," January 31, 2023.
2. The New York Times, "A Charity Tied to the Supreme Court Offers Donors Access to the Justices," January 1, 2023.
3. Brennan Center for Justice, "Brennan Center Urges Supreme Court Justices to Adopt a Code of Ethics," September 24, 2019.

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