The Supreme Court declined to instate a formal code of conduct this week, but the Justices signed a statement saying they are committed to being ethical. Is that good enough?
Democrats are calling for a formal code of ethics to be adopted for the conservative-majority court. This comes at a time when trust in the court has become polarized and questions have come up about the Justices’ finances.
The statement addresses potential conflicts such as the Justices’ financial investment disclosures, speaking engagements, and recusals. It does not bind them to any protocol about those things. It is more of an outline of good practice.
Democratic politicians have been especially vocal about this even though they arguably have far more conflicts of interest from political donors than the Justices.
