Senators demand ethics code for Supreme Court following Sotomayor report.

Senate Judiciary Committee Members Call for Supreme Court Ethics Reform

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have expressed their support for an ethics code for the Supreme Court, initiated by Chief Justice John Roberts. However, there is a split among committee members on the best approach to move forward. Some are advocating for Congress to pass an ethics reform bill, while others believe the responsibility lies with the chief justice.

This shift in position comes after a recent report from the Associated Press revealed that Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s team had pressured public institutions to purchase large quantities of her books. The news has raised concerns about ethics within the court.

Committee Chairman Pushes for Ethical Standards

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) has pushed back against accusations that Democrats are targeting conservative justices. He emphasized that any changes made to the code of ethics or ethical disclosure by the Supreme Court would apply to all justices, regardless of their political leanings.

While Durbin did not speculate on whether news of an ethics scandal involving a liberal justice would encourage Republicans to support a Supreme Court ethics reform push, he stressed the need for transparency and accountability.

Responsibility Lies with the Chief Justice

Ranking member Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) acknowledged the problems highlighted by the Sotomayor news but believes it is the chief justice’s responsibility to address these issues. He stated that it is not the role of Congress to intervene in this matter.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) agreed with Graham, emphasizing that the chief justice should revisit the code of ethics for the court and ensure that all justices understand their obligations. He also expressed his belief that Congress should not get involved, as the Supreme Court is a co-equal branch of government capable of handling these issues internally.

Call for Ethical Reform

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) expressed his hope that the accusations against Sotomayor were not true, acknowledging that the report does not paint a favorable picture. Like Graham and Cornyn, Hawley called for ethics reform on the high court, urging the justices to follow the code of judicial conduct that other federal courts adhere to.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) stated that he had not yet read the Associated Press report but suggested that Chief Justice Roberts likely works on ethics-related issues with his colleagues regularly. Similarly, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) had not read the Sotomayor report but echoed Kennedy’s sentiments, questioning why Chief Justice Roberts has not taken action to impose or adopt a similar code of ethics.

If an ethics code had been in place prior to the Sotomayor news, Coons believes there would have been a clear process for resolving the issue.

The Associated Press report follows previous reporting by ProPublica on Justice Clarence Thomas accepting luxury trips and gifts from a billionaire GOP donor. While this news sparked outrage among Democrats, there were few Republican defections.

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