Justice Barrett endorses Supreme Court ethics code as ‘good idea’
- Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett signaled support for an ethics code
- The court has come under scrutiny over actions by some of the justices
- Senate Democrats pushed legislation requiring court to adopt ethics code
Justice Amy Coney Barrett
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(NewsNation) — Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is the latest member of the bench to address ethics concerns within the court, expressing support for an official code of conduct while speaking at the University of Minnesota Law School.
“I think it would be a good idea for us to do it, particularly so that we can communicate to the public exactly what it is that we’re doing in a clearer way than perhaps we have been able to do so far,” Barrett said in a wide-ranging interview with Robert Stein, a law professor and former COO of the American Bar Association.
She also emphasized that all nine justices are committed to holding themselves to the highest ethical standards.
The court has come under scrutiny this year after reports by ProPublica revealed Justice Clarence Thomas accepted lavish trips and gifts from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow without disclosing them in financial filings. Thomas defended the trips, saying they were “personal hospitality from close personal friends” that he was not required to disclose.
ProPublica also reported Justice Samuel Alito accepted a vacation at a luxury fishing lodge in Alaska in 2008 paid for by conservative donors and didn’t disclose it publicly.
Following the revelations, Senate Democrats called for an official Supreme Court ethics code and pushed legislation that would have required the justices to adopt one.
Lauren Wright, a political scientist at Princeton University, said Tuesday on “The Hill on NewsNation” that she isn’t surprised by Barrett’s comments.
“Yes she’s extraordinarily conservative, but she’s a principled person,” Wright said. “I think it’s probably a good thing for the court for people to see them as ethical and beyond reproach.”
Kara Frederick, director of the Tech Policy Center at the Heritage Foundation, noted that over half of American have an unfavorable view of the Supreme Court. A Gallup poll from August shows the 40% who approve of the high court is a record low.
“This is a massive problem,” Frederick said.
The Hill and producer Marykate Bucknam contributed to this report.
