Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who has been at the center of a number of ethics controversies at the court recently, told the Wall Street Journal lawmakers need to give up on the idea of imposing new rules on the justices.
Alito, who authored the opinion in the Dobbs case that overturned Roe v. Wade, has been unusually active for a sitting federal judge in fending off claims of impropriety.
He went so far as getting the Journal to publish an op-ed he wrote defending himself against claims in a ProPublica story he had failed to disclose a gifted luxury trip and private jet travel — before ProPublica had even published the story.
There’s been a lot to defend lately, as Alito and fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas have been accused of failing to properly report gifts on federal disclosure forms. Thomas, in particular, was reported by ProPublica to have accepted trips from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow for years.
The ethics disputes led Senate Democrats to consider requiring the Court to stick to stricter ethics standards, closer to those seen in the congressional and executive branches of the government.
On July 20, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) that would require the Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct and create a process to investigate potential breaches.
Chief Justice John Roberts has said such changes aren’t needed, and the court could be trusted to self-regulate. But Alito’s comments appear to go much further, saying Congress cannot impose any requirements on the Supreme Court because it is part of an equal branch of government created by the U.S. Constitution.
Can you believe the arrogance of Alito's comments? He doesn't think congress has the authority to regulate through a set of ethics. Obviously, the Supreme Court isn't regulating themselves and getting away with all sorts of impropriety. It's time we take a stance and let the Supreme Court Justices know exactly how the American people think. Please sign the petition. We need more signatures.