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‘An ethical crisis of its own making’: Democrats blast Supreme Court ethics | Courts News

A report from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee detailed new allegations about “lavish gifts” that U.S. Supreme Court justices received from donors.

the 93-page reportThis, released on Saturday, is the culmination of a nearly 20-month investigation led by outgoing Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin.

It builds on Previous reports From news outlet ProPublica that raised questions about a potential conflict of interest on the nation’s highest court.

However, the report claims to have been exposed Trips that have not been previously reported Judge Clarence Thomas allegedly appropriated it at the expense of real estate developer Harlan Crowe, a prominent Republican Party supporter.

While other judges were also named in the report, it singled out Thomas for particular blame.

“The number, value, and lavishness of the gifts accepted by Justice Thomas are unparalleled in modern American history,” the report said.

Judge Thomas has not yet responded publicly to the report’s allegations.

Prominent Senate Democrats like Durbin have long pushed for the Supreme Court to create a robust ethics code to prevent conflicts of interest and ensure compliance with disclosure mandates.

In their report, Democrats criticized Chief Justice John Roberts for not taking more forceful steps to eliminate clear ethical lapses.

“Chief Justice Roberts’ continued unwillingness to implement the only viable solution to the Court’s ethical crisis — an enforceable code of conduct — requires Congress to act to restore public confidence in the nation’s highest court,” the report said.

She accused the court of failing to deal with a “moral crisis of its own making.”

In the wake of ProPublica’s investigation, Roberts took steps to create a Supreme Court Code of ethics.

The court had never had such a law before. But critics have pointed out that the new law, which judges unanimously approved in November 2023, includes no means to enforce its principles or investigate potential violations.

This led to more public anger. Gallup Polling Company I mentioned On December 17, confidence in the American judicial system fell to a record low, setting it apart from other relatively wealthy countries.

Gallup found that 55% of the population of member states of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) expressed confidence in their courts as mediators.

But in the United States, this number was only 35%.

Saturday’s report is likely to contribute to increasing these doubts. The report itself acknowledges the crisis of public confidence.

“The public is now more aware of how generous some judges have been and how these judges and their billionaire donors continue to act with impunity,” she added.

The report identifies that “judges appointed by presidents of both parties” have engaged in ethically questionable behavior. He criticizes left-leaning Justice Sonia Sotomayor for initially failing to disclose travel and accommodations from the University of Rhode Island during a book tour.

However, the report reserves some of its harsh criticism for Justice Thomas and his conservative colleagues, Samuel Alito And the late Antonin Scalia.

Many of the incidents have been detailed elsewhere before. For example, the report notes that Justice Thomas failed to recuse himself in cases in which his wife, conservative activist Jenny Thomas, had a stake in the outcome. The report confirms that this constitutes a violation of federal law.

ProPublica has previously chronicled Thomas’ travels on Crowe’s yacht and private plane, which are likely worth thousands of dollars. But Saturday’s report also highlights two newly revealed October 2021 flights to Saranac, New York and New York City.

In previous public statements, Thomas said And he preserved It has “always endeavored to adhere to disclosure guidelines.” He also described his outings with Crowe as “family trips” with some of his “best friends.”

Another friend of Judge Thomas, attorney Mark Paoletta, He responded Democrats report on social media.

He accused Senate Democrats of “smearing” Justice Thomas and attacking the court, which currently has a conservative majority of six to three.

“This entire investigation was never about ethics, but about trying to undermine the Supreme Court,” Pauletta wrote.

“The left invented recusal criteria to attack judges [and] Try to force them out of situations. “It didn’t work out.”

Earlier this year, in June, Republican senators blocked a Democratic-led bill aimed at creating an enforcement mechanism for ethics violations on the court, called the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act.

But Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina questioned the constitutionality of the bill and called it an overreach.

In January, Republicans are scheduled to retain the majority in the Senate, which is currently led by Democrats. Once they do that, they will have control of both houses of Congress.

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2024-12-21 23:23:00

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