An ethics debate is followed by a code: the US Supreme Court has imposed rules of conduct for the first time. The trigger was reports about expensive gifts to a US judge – his colleagues also came into focus.
The justices of the Supreme Court have agreed to a code of conduct for the first time in US history. This emerges from a statement from the Supreme Court. The document describes, among other things, when they must withdraw from a case – for example because of “personal bias” or “a financial interest”.
The code also includes rules on accepting gifts and prohibits judges from giving speeches at events “sponsored by or associated with a political party or campaign.”
It remains unclear who is responsible for enforcing the code of conduct and what penalties there are for non-compliance. In the document, the chief justices admit that this may require additional resources. This should now be checked.
Judges speak of “Misunderstanding”
Reports about expensive gifts from Texas real estate mogul Harlan Crow to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had previously sparked an ethics debate – in addition to Thomas, his colleagues also came into focus. While US federal judges are already subject to a code of conduct, there was no corresponding set of rules for the most powerful court in the US until this announcement.
“For the most part, these rules and principles are not new,” the document said in its introduction. However, the lack of a uniformly defined line led to the “misunderstanding” that the chief justices, unlike other lawyers in the country, did not feel restricted by any ethical rules.
Report on a donated trip
According to a report by the investigative news portal “ProPublica”, major conservative donor Crow had, among other things, donated Thomas a trip to Indonesia in 2019, which the ultra-conservative judge and his wife Ginni spent on board Crow’s yacht. They were also traveling in his private jet.
The 75-year-old judge then presented a report and stated that he had been advised not to take scheduled flights for safety reasons. The background is his negative attitude towards abortion rights and the reaction of violent leftists to it. On the Supreme Court, whose nine justices are appointed for life, Thomas usually takes staunchly conservative positions.