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

Why the nation’s highest court faces calls to establish a formal code of conduct.

Pocket Editors

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

What to read about the recent controversies involving U.S. Supreme Court justices and what it means for the judicial branch.

Image by Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States, Wikimedia Commons

WHAT’S HAPPENING: Dueling Narratives at the Senate Hearing on the Supreme Court

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.

HOW WE GOT HERE: Why Doesn’t the Supreme Court Have a Formal Code of Ethics?

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

THE HISTORY: Yachts, $10m Payouts & Secret Hunting Trips: The Supreme Court’s History of Ethics Scandals

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

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire

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.

QUESTIONABLE TRANSACTIONS: Law Firm Head Bought Gorsuch-Owned Property

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

A LUCRATIVE CAREER CHANGE: Jane Roberts Made $10.3 Million in Commissions From Elite Law Firms

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

WHAT THE JUSTICES SAY: Supreme Court on Ethics Issues: Not Broken, No Fix Needed

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 BIG PICTURE: Clarence Thomas’s Ethics Are Not the Supreme Court’s Only Problem

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