Senate Democrats call out "ethical crisis" within the Supreme Court in new report

Washington DC - Senate Democrats have concluded an investigation into the conservative-majority Supreme Court and issued a report detailing alleged unethical behavior by justices.

On Saturday, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a report accusing the Supreme Court of having an "ethical crisis" that needs outside intervention.
On Saturday, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a report accusing the Supreme Court of having an "ethical crisis" that needs outside intervention.  © OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP

On Saturday, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a report regarding their 20-month investigation titled "An Investigation of the Ethics Challenge at the Supreme Court."

The committee says the 95-page document "sheds light on a Supreme Court facing record-low levels of public trust, a consistent stream of ethical lapses, and repeated failures by the justices – under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts – to address the Court's ethical challenges."

Most of the key findings point to previous reports regarding justices – in particular Thomas Alito and Clarence Thomas – having received lavish gifts from wealthy benefactors and repeatedly refusing to disclose them, as is required by federal law.

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Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, who chairs the committee, said, "The highest court in the land can't have the lowest ethical standards."

Last year, the court adopted its first-ever code of ethics, but it was not made to be enforceable in any way.

The committee requests that Congress establish an enforceable code of conduct "due to the Court's abdication of its ethical responsibilities to do so."

The report came out the same day that President Joe Biden celebrated having confirmed 235 judges during his term, which included Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown – the first Black woman nominated to the bench.

Cover photo: OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP

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