WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper recently introduced the Supreme Court Ethics Act, which would require the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to follow an ethical code of conduct.
“The justices sitting on the highest court in the land are public servants and owe the American people trust,” said Hickenlooper. “They should be held to and follow the highest standards like any other government official.”
Public trust in the Supreme Court has cratered to historic lows in recent years following numerous allegations that Justices have engaged in partisan activities, conflicts of interest, and financial impropriety, including accepting undisclosed luxury trips and other gifts from people who are likely to have business before the court.
Every other federal court is bound by a code of conduct, with the exclusive exception of the Supreme Court of the United States. This bill would bring the Supreme Court in line with the ethical obligations required of every federal judge and work to restore public trust in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court Ethics Act would:
- Require the Supreme Court to create a code of conduct that meets the standard set by current federal courts;
- 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 and to issue a public annual report on the disposition of allegations and investigations;
- Empower the Ethics Investigations Counsel to conduct their own investigations into potential violations of the code of conduct;
- Require Justices who recuse themselves from a case to publicly disclose the reason;
- Require Justices who deny a proper motion to recuse to publicly disclose the reason.
Full text of the bill can be found HERE.
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