A bill that aimed to establish a code of ethics for Supreme Court justices was rejected by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday due to Republican opposition.
The bill, proposed by Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, sought to enforce a code of conduct for Supreme Court justices and set up a system for investigating any violations. Justices would also be obligated to provide explanations for recusals.
“The highest court in the land should not operate with the lowest ethical standards,” remarked Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat and the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and his colleagues blocked the bill, arguing that it exceeded the legislative branch’s authority and was a politically motivated reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade in 2022.
“I believe this bill is more about political agendas than ethics. It’s primarily focused on abortion,” stated Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.
Supreme Court
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The ethics bill was initially introduced in the Senate in 2023 but failed to gain bipartisan support.
Later in 2023, the Supreme Court established its own informal code of conduct. This code mirrors the one for lower court judges but lacks a mechanism to hold justices accountable for violations.
Meanwhile, Democrats in the U.S. House Of Representatives are crafting their own court ethics legislation, which may include aligning the gift limit for Supreme Court justices with the $50 restriction imposed on House members.
