Senate Democrats blast Supreme Court's 'ethical crisis' as investigation concludes
A lengthy investigation by Senate Democrats into alleged ethical lapses by Supreme Court justices ended Friday with the release of a report criticizing the judiciary and calling for legislative reforms that incoming Republican leadership oppose.
WASHINGTON — A lengthy investigation by Senate Democrats into alleged ethical lapses by Supreme Court justices has ended with the release of a report Saturday criticizing the judiciary and calling for legislative reforms that incoming Republican leadership opposes.
Republicans are set to take control of the Senate in January, meaning the report is likely the final word on the issue for a while.
“The Supreme Court has mired itself in an ethical crisis of its own making by failing to address justices’ ethical misconduct for decades,” the report says.
The 95-page document details the previously reported alleged transgressions, including the undisclosed trips taken by Justice Clarence Thomas with his friend, billionaire Harlan Crow. It was ProPublica’s reporting of the trips starting in April 2023 that triggered the investigation.
The renewed attention on the court’s ethics did ultimately lead the justices to adopt a new ethics code in November 2023, but it was immediately criticized for being insufficient, mostly because it has no enforcement mechanism.
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