Blog de Dunlap: The Supreme Court has never done this before

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

The Supreme Court has never done this before

Danielle,

Yesterday, for the first time ever, the Supreme Court announced a code of conduct for its justices. It's an acknowledgment that public trust in the Court has plummeted.

But here's the thing: it doesn't come with any way to enforce it. In other words, it's useless.

And it won't restore the American people's confidence in the Court after hearing about justices receiving secret, lavish gifts — a luxury yacht ride here, a stay at a high-end resort there — from billionaires and business magnates involved in cases before the Court.

If the justices won't step up, Congress must act.

We need an enforceable code of ethics for Supreme Court justices. And with the Court's latest announcement, we've got new momentum to get it done. But Washington needs to hear the American people demanding action.

Danielle, add your name if you agree: we must pass judicial ethics reform to restore the public's trust in our judicial system.

I've also introduced a bill, the Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act, which would implement important reforms to ethics in the federal judiciary:

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
Overhaul the broken recusal process
Create new tools to hold judges — including Supreme Court justices — accountable for ethical misconduct

Danielle, we've got to get this done. The honor system hasn't been cutting it, pure and simple, and it won't do the trick now either. When someone has their day in court, they shouldn't have to wonder whether the judge in front of them is making decisions based on their financial interests rather than the rule of law.

I'll keep working to clean house and restore public confidence in the courts by pushing for an enforceable code of ethics for Supreme Court justices, and working to pass the Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act. But I can't do it alone.

Please add your name to say you support tackling corruption in our federal judiciary — and let's fight side by side to get this done.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth