Blog de Dunlap: I’m fighting to make Supreme Court justices follow a basic code of ethics, and I’m working to root corruption out of Washington, but I can’t do it alone.

Danielle,

Have you ever tried counting grains of sand on a beach?

That's what it can feel like trying to keep track of all the benefits Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been getting from billionaires.

ProPublica — which had broken news about Justice Thomas's undisclosed gifts from a GOP megadonor — recently rounded up dozens of luxury trips he'd been treated to, from yacht rides to private jet flights to stays at high-end resorts. They called it the "fullest" accounting yet, but also "almost certainly an undercount."

Who's paying for this lavish lifestyle? Billionaires. Business magnates. An oil baron.

Allowing the rich and powerful to give secret gifts to Supreme Court justices undermines our judicial system's ideal of Equal Justice Under Law. When someone gets their day in court, they should never have to worry whether their judge is making decisions to benefit their rich friends or personal financial interests rather than to uphold the rule of law.

This is an assault on our democracy. So I'm fighting to make Supreme Court justices follow a basic code of ethics, including tightening rules on gifts like the ones Justice Thomas has been showered with. It's all part of my work to root corruption out of Washington and make our government work for everyone, not just the rich and powerful.

And Danielle, grassroots donors make it possible for me to stay in the fight to advocate for these plans. Can you pitch in $100 or any amount to our re-election campaign? Every donation powers our movement to root out corruption in Washington and put our government on the side of working people.

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Here's some of what my Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act would accomplish:

Make the Supreme Court follow a binding Code of Conduct Ban federal judges from owning or trading individual stocks
Tighten restrictions on gifts and privately funded travel (yes, Justice Clarence Thomas, I'm looking at you)
Overhaul the broken recusal process (once again looking at you, Justice Thomas, after you didn't recuse yourself from a case around the insurrection that could possibly have had consequences for your wife)
Create new tools to hold judges accountable for ethical misconduct

Meanwhile, I'm also fighting to…

Ban all individual stock ownership by members of Congress, Cabinet secretaries, senior congressional staff, federal judges, White House staff, and other senior agency officials while in office
End lobbying as we know it
Padlock the revolving door between big businesses and our government
Limit the influence of private defense contractors on our military
Keep big bank executives off Federal Reserve Bank boards of directors Create a new, independent anti-corruption agency dedicated to enforcing federal ethics laws
And more

I'm not alone in this fight. I've got some terrific partners in Washington. And I know that I'm fighting alongside you too, Danielle.

Together, we can remove the toxic influence that big money has on our government. And we can pass policies that put power in the hands of working people, where it belongs.

I'll keep fighting to root corruption out of our federal judiciary, and I need you in this fight with me. If you're able, can you please chip in $100 or anything you can to support our campaign? This issue is powerfully important to our democracy, and your support ensures we can keep fighting to pass this plan.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth

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