Get Up to Speed: The Supreme Court’s Ethics Mess

At Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, the Democrats' avowed purpose was to get the Supreme Court to write a code of conduct for itself, or in the absence of that, for Congress to write one. The Republicans avowed purpose was quite different.

A ProPublica story about Justice Clarence Thomas accepting gifts from a billionaire has renewed calls for the court to adopt a formal ethics code

Bipartisan group of senators is proposing new ethics rules for high court, Josh Marcus writes.

For over 20 years, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been treated to luxury vacations by billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow. The extent of Crow’s largesse has never been revealed. Until now.

FURTHER READING: Billionaire Harlan Crow Bought Property From Clarence Thomas. The Justice Didn’t Disclose the Deal. and Clarence Thomas Had a Child in Private School. Harlan Crow Paid the Tuition. via ProPublica.

The Supreme Court justice did not report the identity of the purchaser, whose firm has had numerous cases before the court.

New documents reveal Jane Roberts made $10.3 million from elite firms, raising questions about the Supreme Court justices’ conflicts of interest.

The Supreme Court is speaking with one voice in response to recent criticism of the justices’ ethical practices: No need to fix what isn’t broken.

The court has been viewed with skepticism for decades. But there's a reason it's spiking now.