11/15/2023

How the Supreme Court Settled on an Ethics Code

It's important to note what it left out

Pror to welcoming four Supreme Court justices to its glittery national convention gala in D.C. last week, the conservative legal incubator the Federalist Society held a panel discussion about whether the justices should adopt a code of ethics.

The answer from conservatives on the panel was a resounding, "no." Any such code would just be "weaponized" against the justices on the right, said Jay Mitchell, an associate justice on the Alabama Supreme Court, who has sent three clerks to work for Justice Clarence Thomas.

But the justices at the gala headlined by Justice Amy Coney Barrett were already negotiating with their colleagues a "code of conduct" specific to members of the Supreme Court. Conservative cover was not going to be enough to offset mounting criticism of the court and public pressure to bind the high court to the same kinds of ethical obligations that lower court judges follow.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.