Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), the top – ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and other senators on Wednesday [June12] blocked a bill requiring the Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct and create a mechanism to enforce it in the wake of several high-profile controversies.
The legislation, the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act, would require Supreme Court justices to adopt a code of conduct, create a mechanism to investigate alleged violations of the code and other laws and improve the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) requested unanimous consent to pass the legislation Wednesday [June 12] afternoon.
He criticized Chief Justice John Roberts on the Senate floor for not doing enough to enforce ethical standards on the Supreme Court after media reports revealed that conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas received lavish gifts and hospitality from conservative donors.
Durbin also cited concerns about Alito’s impartiality after two flags associated with former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election were displayed at his home and vacation house.
“The Supreme Court’s own [unenforced] code of conduct reiterates justices should disqualify themselves in cases where there is reasonable doubt about their impartiality [as does the Constitution, in two places]. Despite serious questions about the impartiality of Justice Alito and Justice Thomas in numerous cases, they have refused to recuse themselves from these cases,” Durbin said.
But Graham immediately objected to the request.
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