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Today, U.S. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) announced the Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2013, which will require the United States Supreme Court to adopt a code of ethics for Supreme Court Justices. Unlike every other federal judge, Supreme Court justices are exempt from the Code of Conduct for United States Judges—a binding code of ethics that ensures neutrality and transparency in our courts. The Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2013 would require the Court to adopt a code of ethics within 180 days of passage.

A string of dubious ethical behavior has increased scrutiny of the Supreme Court and eroded public confidence in the institution, with Gallup reporting that Americans' approval of the Court stands at just 43 percent – almost an all-time low – while 47 percent disapprove. These concerns include justices allowing their names to be used to promote political fundraisers, attending seminars sponsored by high-profile political donors, failing to report family income from politically active groups, and failing to recuse themselves when deciding cases where there exists a conflict of interest. New reporting from last week indicates that questions regarding conflicts of interest are likely to continue. Furthermore, the Court's pattern of siding with powerful corporate interests more often than preceding courts has drawn additional scrutiny.

In 2012, 212 legal scholars jointly urged the Court to adopt the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges. Over 125,000 Americans have signed a petition to Chief Justice John Roberts asking him to adopt a code of ethics for the high court.

"We are a nation defined by the rule of law, and our government is defined by our comprehensive system of checks and balances. Recent reports of dubious ethical behavior by Supreme Court justices have undermined these two fundamental principles, and have eroded the American people's faith in the Supreme Court as an institution. In order to restore the people's trust, the Supreme Court needs to adopt a Code of Conduct –just as every other federal judge is required by law. As the highest court in the land and the ultimate arbiter of justice in America, the integrity of our justices should be beyond reproach, and this law will ensure that we hold true to the standards on which this country was founded," said Rep. Slaughter, who championed similar legislation last Congress and whose record of holding government accountable includes the landmark "America For Sale" report on government corruption from 2000-2006 and passing the STOCK Act in 2012, which banned insider trading by members of Congress.

"The American people deserve to know that our highest court is held to the highest ethical standard, and this bill aims to make the court more accountable and transparent," said Senator Murphy. "As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, 'sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants'. It's time that we apply that same ideal to the Supreme Court, and this bill will help guarantee the integrity of our country's highest court."

"This legislation's goal is to preserve public trust and confidence – the lifeblood of the Supreme Court – after claims of questionable conduct by some Justices," Senator Blumenthal said. "No Justice, any more than a judge, should advance a partisan cause or sit on a case involving a personal friend or interest. There is no persuasive reason in law or logic why Supreme Court Justices should not be held to the same high standard as other federal judges."

"This legislation would finally establish guidelines for the conduct of our nation's highest court," said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. "Every other federal judge in America is already subject to a code of conduct, and our Supreme Court justices should be too. I thank Senator Murphy and Congresswoman Slaughter for introducing this commonsense measure."

"Every single federal judge in America is subject to a code of conduct—with the glaring exception of the nine justices of the United States Supreme Court," said Nan Aaron, President of Alliance for Justice. "Supreme Court justices should be able to resist the temptation to lend the prestige of their office to partisan political causes, or fraternize with and fundraise on behalf of those who could have a financial stake in Court decisions. Unfortunately, some of the justices sitting on the Supreme Court today have been unable to resist that temptation. That's why we need a code of conduct for the Supreme Court—and why we wholeheartedly support this legislation."

"The Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2013 will restore the public's faith in the Court by ensuring that the Court adheres to the same high ethical standards that apply to the rest of the judicial branch," said Amanda Frost, Professor of Law at American University's Washington College of Law. "Every state supreme court has adopted a code of ethics, and every other federal judge in the country is bound by one as well. The Supreme Court of the United States should be no exception." http://news.silobreaker.com/slaughter-murphy-blumenthal-and-whitehouse
-introduce-supreme-court-ethics-bill-5_2267004353321631819]

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The Kochs insist on strict confidentiality surrounding the California meetings, which are entitled “Understanding and Addressing Threats to American Free Enterprise and Prosperity.” The letter advises participants that it is closed to the public, including the news media, and admonishes them not to post updates or information about the meeting on the Web, blogs, social media or traditional media, and to “be mindful of the security and confidentiality of your meeting notes and materials.” [ ...]

To encourage new participants, Mr. Koch offers to waive the $1,500 registration fee. And he notes that previous guests have included Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court, Gov. Haley Barbour and Gov. Bobby Jindal, Senators Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn, and Representatives Mike Pence, Tom Price and Paul D. Ryan. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/us/politics/20koch.html?_r=2&ref
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More than 100 law professors have signed on to a letter released today that proposes congressional hearings and legislation aimed at fashioning "mandatory and enforceable" ethics rules for Supreme Court justices for the first time.

The effort was triggered by "recent media reports," the letter said, apparently referring to stories of meetings and other potential conflicts of interest involving Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas among others.

The professors note that the Court is not covered by the code of conduct that lower federal court judges are required to follow. The Supreme Court has long said it looks to the code for "guidance" -- a concession which, the signers agree, "has proved insufficient." The letter also points out disapprovingly that individual justices alone decide whether they should or should not recuse in a given case, not subject to review by anyone else, and with no requirement to explain their decisions.

In making their case, the professors invoked the Court's own language from the 2009 decision in Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., which disapproved of a state judge's refusal to step aside from a case that involved a major campaign donor. "Judicial integrity is," the Court said, "a state interest of the highest order."

Among the signers are leading names and experts on legal and judicial ethics, including Stanford Law School's Deborah Rhode, George Washington University Law School's Stephen Saltzburg and Alan Morrison, James Alfini of South Texas College of Law, Yale Law School's Lawrence Fox, Amanda Frost and Herman Schwartz of American University Washington College of Law, Northwestern University School of Law's Steven Lubet and Ellen Yaroshefsky of Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. More at http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2011/02/law-profs-urge-ethics-rules-
for-supreme-court-justices.html

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