The Supreme Court of the United States has recently released a new “Code of Conduct” in response to increasing pressure from Senate Judiciary Democrats. The announcement, made on Monday, aims to establish clear ethics rules and principles that guide the conduct of the Court’s members. This move comes after months of heightened scrutiny and calls for new ethics laws for the high court.
“The undersigned Justices are promulgating this Code of Conduct to set out succinctly and gather in one place the ethics rules and principles that guide the conduct of the Members of the Court,” the announcement stated. The Court acknowledges that the majority of these rules and principles are not new, as they have been derived from various sources, including statutory provisions, codes applicable to other federal judiciary members, ethics advisory opinions, and historic practices.
The absence of a formal Code of Conduct in recent years has led to a misunderstanding that the Supreme Court Justices consider themselves unrestricted by any ethics rules, unlike other jurists in the country. With the release of this new Code, the Court aims to dispel this misunderstanding and provide a codified set of principles governing their conduct.
Senate Judiciary Democrats have been particularly vocal in their criticism of the Supreme Court, pushing for increased oversight and ethics investigations. This latest development is seen as a response to their demands. The Democrats believe that the Court should be subject to the same level of scrutiny and accountability as other branches of the government.
Carrie Severino from the Judicial Crisis Network commented on the debate over Supreme Court oversight during an appearance on Sunday Night In America. The introduction of the Code of Conduct is likely to add fuel to the ongoing discussions surrounding the role and responsibilities of the Supreme Court.
The release of the new Code of Conduct by the Supreme Court is a significant development in the ongoing debate over ethics and transparency within the judicial system. It remains to be seen how this will impact the relationship between the Court and Senate Judiciary Democrats, as well as the wider public’s perception of the Court’s accountability and adherence to ethical standards.
Brianna Herlihy, a politics writer for Digital, contributed to this article.
