(C) Common Dreams
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Democrats to Press Supreme Court Ethics Rules Over G.O.P. Opposition [1]
['Carl Hulse', 'More About Carl Hulse']
Date: 2023-07-17
Senate Democrats plan to push ahead this week with legislation imposing new ethics rules on the Supreme Court in the wake of disclosures about the justices’ travel and outside activities, despite blanket opposition by Republicans who claim the effort is intended to undermine the high court.
The Judiciary Committee is scheduled on Thursday to consider legislation by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, that would require the Supreme Court to establish a new code of conduct for justices, set firmer ground rules for recusal from cases, create a new investigatory board and promote transparency about ties with those before the court.
Senate Republicans have made it clear they won’t support the legislation, and it has no chance in the G.O.P.-controlled House. But Mr. Whitehouse said he saw the fight over the measure as just the first step, after a string of revelations about undisclosed luxury travel, relationships with affluent Americans and speaking engagements tied to book sales, as well as the shocking leak last year of the court’s decision overturning precedent on abortion rights.
“You have to start somewhere,” said Mr. Whitehouse. He added, “The more information that comes out about the mischief going on at the Supreme Court, the more inevitable it becomes that they come around to agreeing we have to do something. We’re just at the beginning.”
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[1] Url:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/us/politics/senate-supreme-court-ethics.html
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