A group of Democratic lawmakers are attempting to reintroduce the Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act, which would impose a code of conduct on the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) and ban federal judges from owning individual stock.
According to Politico, the proponents were led by Democrat representatives Elizabeth Warren (MA) and Pramila Jayapal (WA). Their legislation would also overhaul the judicial recusal process and restrict gifts and privately-funded travel, among others.
The announcement came after a poll from Data for Progress, a liberal think tank, showed the judicial reforms were approved by both sides of the House of Representatives. According to the findings, 77% of voters support the move requiring Supreme Court justices and their spouses to adopt a strict code of ethics.
"Public trust in our judicial system has plummeted, but Representative Jayapal and I have legislation to help fix it," Warren said in a statement. "By holding the Supreme Court to a binding code of conduct and requiring all federal judges to disclose conflicts of interest, the Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act would strengthen mechanisms for judicial accountability and help root out conflicts of interest in our judicial system."
In reality, the legislation only has Democrat support, with more than 30 lawmakers co-sponsoring it. The bill is one of many liberal lawmakers have put forward to address judicial ethics concerns.
Clarence Thomas's Connection to Harlan Crow
The proposed bill was reintroduced following ProPublica's series of articles which raised questions about the relationship between Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow. The site connected the two due to the evidence of Crow bestowing luxury gifts to Thomas, among others, which the magistrate has not discussed over the past two decades.
In April, the Supreme Court issued an unusual joint declaration on ethics, but the document fell short of adopting a code of conduct that critics have been clamoring for.
Meanwhile, Thomas and fellow Justice Samuel Alito asked for an extension in filing his annual financial disclosure report amid increased scrutiny of his ethical obligations.
