The Supreme Court Can't Police Itself. Pass the SCOTUS Ethics Act NOW!

In its decades of oversight authority, the Judicial Conference has failed to hold even one federal judge accountable for ethics or disclosure violations.

Tell Congress: Pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act. SIGN THE PETITION! For decades, the Supreme Court and the rest of the federal judiciary have policed their own ethics standards. It's been a complete disaster. According to a new ProPublica expose, judiciary ethics and financial disclosures are overseen by a secretive council of judges called the Judicial Conference. The Conference is led by Chief Justice John Roberts and oversees some 1,700 federal judges, including the Supreme Court justices. But instead of forcing judges—like Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito—to follow ethics standards, the Judicial Conference has focused on preserving perks like free travel and fighting calls for reform. The body relies on an "honor system" that allows judges to act with impunity. Congress must act now to pass a real, enforceable code of conduct for federal judges. Sign Now: The Supreme Court Can't Police Itself. Pass the SCOTUS Ethics Act NOW! In its decades of oversight authority, the Judicial Conference has failed to hold even one federal judge accountable for ethics or disclosure violations. When the Conference held a 2011 investigation into Clarence Thomas' failure to disclose his wife Ginni's earnings from a prominent right-wing think tank, it simply let Thomas off the hook. This year's scandals involving Justices Thomas, Alito, Roberts, and their billionaire benefactors like Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo aren't just morally reprehensible. The injection of huge sums into our legal system has led directly to a right-wing Court that's gutted our reproductive rights, decimated environmental protections, and more. Next year, the right-wing Court has already announced plans to rule on cases with potentially devastating consequences, such as the legality of access to abortion pills. Trusting the Supreme Court to police itself is what got us into this mess to begin with. We need Congress to pass this bill to finally create a real, binding code of conduct for our federal courts. ADD YOUR NAME Paid for by DEMAND PROGRESS   Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Progress America, please click here.