SOUNDS LIKE A SEPARATION OF POWERS VIOLATION TO ME: Bill would create ethics code for Supreme Court justices.
As the Supreme Court is gearing up to hear arguments Tuesday in what could be the nation’s most influential case on gay marriage, Democratic lawmakers are calling on the high court to adopt a code of ethics for justices.
The Supreme Court Ethics Act, reintroduced Thursday, would require the Supreme Court to adopt a code of the ethics within 180 days. The nine justices are currently exempt from the code of conduct U.S. judges follow to ensure neutrality and transparency in the nation’s courts. . . .
“There is absolutely no reason why Supreme Court Justices shouldn’t be subject to the same code of conduct as all other federal judges,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said in a news release. “The American people deserve to know that our highest court is held to the highest ethical standards, which is why we introduced the Supreme Court Ethics Act.”
And I’m not persuaded by this: “Because Congress determines how many justices sit on the Supreme Court and what they are paid, lawmakers say creating a code of conduct is part of their purview as well.”
Since what House Democrats talk about is about as likely to become law as what I blog about, this is just pre-election agitprop for Dems, in case the Supreme Court rules the “wrong” way. But when you have the likes of Chris Murphy and Louise Slaughter talking about ethics, well. .. .