After a number of controversial rulings and scandals involving sitting justices, the public’s faith in the Supreme Court is at an all-time low. One potential remedy to help restore trust is the introduction of an ethics code that would establish new rules governing the nine-member panel.
The idea, which has enjoyed support from mostly Democrats, may have just received a key endorsement from one of the Supreme Court’s most conservative members.
This week, Justice Amy Coney Barrett appeared to call for the adoption of a new code of ethics for the Supreme Court — one that, she notes, would help “communicate … exactly what it is that we are doing in a clearer way.”
“It would be a good idea for us to do it,” she said on Monday, according to the New York Times.
The court’s reputation has been marred in recent days by accusations that several of its members failed to report gifts and luxury travel. Chief among the accused are Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. Legal groups have called on Chief Justice John Roberts to enforce stricter recusal standards amid concerns that their ties to wealthy donors may be influencing the justices’ conduct.
