Here Are The Recent Controversies Supreme Court Justices Have Been Caught Up In—As Senate Hears Case For Code Of Ethics
ForbesDec 24, 2022
The Facts
The US Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday clashed over the possibility of imposing ethical standards on SCOTUS following recent reports surrounding the actions of Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch.
While Thomas has been accused of failing to disclose his financial relationship with billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow, Gorsuch allegedly didn't disclose selling land to Brian Duffy, a lawyer whose firm has been involved in at least 22 SCOTUS cases since the deal.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
The fact that SCOTUS justices aren't bound by a code of conduct is troubling, and reforming the courts to change this reality shouldn't be a partisan issue. However, even if legislation is adopted, it won't fully rectify the court's continued issues with credibility. Ethical lapses are only secondary to the reality that SCOTUS' public opinion rating has been tarnished as a blatantly partisan institution manipulated by Republicans in recent years.
Republican narrative
Since the swing towards a conservative and originalist majority in recent years, SCOTUS has faced a cynical and sustained campaign by the left to undermine its every move. Certain questions of the judiciary should rightly be asked, but this coordinated attack, which ignores examples of the exact same behavior by progressive justices, is wrong. The current Democratic crusade is simply the angry reaction of activists who no longer have a majority of pliable justices whose wills can be bent as seen fit.
