On Tuesday, Congressman Murphy introduced legislation that would require the Supreme Court to adhere to the same mandatory Code of Conduct that already applies to every other federal court. The Supreme Court Transparency and Disclosure Act (HR 862) would also tackle issues surrounding the recusal process for justices. Speaking at an event announcing the bill, AFJ's Nan Aron observed, "There are more mandatory ethics rules governing paid congressional interns than there are for justices of the Supreme Court." Supreme Court justices currently have no mandatory ethical code.
More than 100 law professors have already urged Congress to take action on Supreme Court ethics as questions have been raised about certain justices' participation in partisan political events.
You can read more on judicial ethics, including the law professors' letter and more media coverage in the new Alliance for Justice ethics resource center.
