Expensive gifts: The US Supreme Court gets a code of conduct

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This was evident from a ruling by the Supreme Court on Monday afternoon (local time). The document describes, among other things, when they must withdraw from a case – for example because of ‘personal bias’ or ‘a financial interest’.

It remains unclear who is responsible for enforcing the code of conduct and what sanctions exist for non-compliance. In the document, the chief justices admit that this may require additional resources. This needs to be checked now.

Reports of expensive gifts from Texas real estate magnate Harlan Crow to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had previously sparked an ethical debate – in addition to Thomas, his colleagues also came into the picture. Although US federal judges are already subject to a code of conduct, there were no corresponding rules for the most powerful court in the US until Monday’s announcement. “For the most part, these rules and principles are not new,” the document states in its introduction. However, the lack of a uniformly defined line led to the ‘misunderstanding’ that the Chief Justices, unlike other lawyers in the country, did not feel constrained by any ethical rules.

According to a report by the investigative publication ProPublica, major conservative donor Crow Thomas had, among other things, donated a trip to Indonesia in 2019, which the ultra-conservative judge and his wife Ginni spent aboard Crow’s yacht. They also traveled on his private jet. The 75-year-old judge subsequently drew up a report and stated that he had been advised not to take scheduled flights for safety reasons. The background is his negative attitude towards abortion rights and the reaction of violent left-wingers to it.

In the Supreme Court, whose nine judges are appointed for life and who make socio-politically groundbreaking decisions, Thomas usually represents staunchly conservative views.

(SDA)

Source: Blick