Amid numerous scandals that have revealed the deep corruption on the Supreme Court bench, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) have reintroduced a bill seeking to reverse the relative impunity that Supreme Court justices enjoy and enact a set of binding ethical rules.
The Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act would ensure that, like every other federal court in the nation, the Supreme Court is legally bound to a code of ethics — a provision that has become a rallying call for Democrats and progressives in recent years.
Under the bill, the monetary value of gifts that Supreme Court justices are allowed to receive would be capped, and oversight for justices attending privately funded events would be increased. This is especially germane to the controversy around Justice Clarence Thomas, who commentators and legal experts have said has repeatedly broken disclosure laws, but who seems to be facing no legal consequences with zero apparent will to curb this sort of corruption from Chief Justice John Roberts.
