John,

Concerns over potential conflicts of interest and lack of transparency within the Supreme Court have continued to grow larger over the last few years.

The current system relies on the individual Justices to determine when they should recuse themselves from cases in which they may have a personal or financial stake.

This self-policing approach has led to instances where justices have failed to recuse themselves despite owning shares in companies that were parties to cases, while in others, they have had personal connections to the parties involved.

One of the most damaging examples is Justice Thomas failing to recuse himself from the Jan. 6 Committee case when his wife was in contact with Arizona Republicans directly involved with the insurrection.

The bottom line is that when the Supreme Court fails to take action to address these conflicts it damages our democracy.

Sign the petition to Congress: We must restore public trust, transparency, and accountability in the U.S. Supreme Court. Pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act.

The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act aims to promote fairness, impartiality, and transparency within the Court and help restore public trust in the institution by doing the following:  

• Create a statutory requirement for the Judicial Conference of the United States to issue a code of conduct that applies to the Supreme Court.

• Direct the Supreme Court to appoint an Ethics Investigations Counsel who will establish a process for the public to report information about potentially unethical conduct by the Justices.

• Require Justices who recuse themselves from a case to publicly disclose the reason and for Justices who deny a proper motion to recuse to publicly disclose the reason.

The Supreme Court plays a pivotal role in shaping the lives of every person. It is crucial that they operate with integrity, impartiality, and transparency.

Tell Congress to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act to advocate for a more just, fair, and accountable judicial system.

Thank you for standing up for the principles of democracy!

- Amanda

Amanda Ford, Director
Democracy for America
Advocacy Fund