Under ethics pressure, Supreme Court announces it’s adopting code of conduct – ABC News
The Supreme Court unveiled a new “Code of Conduct” on Monday in response to increased scrutiny from Senate Judiciary Democrats seeking ethical reforms. The announcement emphasized the codification of existing principles guiding justices’ conduct and dispelling misconceptions about a lack of ethics rules. The Code comprises five “canons,” addressing concerns like private trip funding for Justices Alito and Thomas and Court staff involvement in book promotion for Justice Sotomayor.
The guidelines state that justices shouldn’t extensively use judicial resources for non-official activities, and they may accept reasonable compensation for permitted activities if it doesn’t appear to influence their duties. The Code limits expense reimbursement to actual or reasonably estimated costs. The document also reaffirms justices’ commitment to financial disclosure statutes.
The Court, privately deliberating for months, aimed to address ethical concerns while maintaining independence from congressional oversight. Justices Kagan, Kavanaugh, and Barrett publicly supported the new ethics code. The initiative follows Democratic pressure related to luxury vacations taken by Justices Thomas and Alito, with Republicans criticizing it as an attempt to undermine the conservative-majority Court. The fate of proposed Democratic legislation, the SCERT Act, remains uncertain after the Court’s announcement.
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