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The US Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time
81–90 of 90 posts
Re: The US Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time
#82This is a fine gesture, but it does not solve the fundamental problem that Supreme Court justices are an unelected super-government with lifetime appointments and zero accountability . The whole institution is absurd and undemocratic and, as Clarence Thomas has proved [0], ripe with opportunities for corruption. A non-binding code of ethics doesn't change that. [0]: https://www.propublica.org/series/supreme-court-sco…
> lifetime appointments The lifetime appointments are designed to put them outside of the scope of politicians and the need to run for re-election. I guess you could serve a single 15 year term with no option to rejoin the court. > zero accountability Supreme Court justices can be impeached and removed from office.
Yeah but practically speaking they can't be as long as their crimes benefit at least a third of the Senate. Frankly, the corruption of the court seems to fall substantially along party lines, so as long as one party never holds 67 senate seats there is no mechanism for accountability.
Re: The US Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time
#83"Laws for thee, not for me"
Re: The US Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yep. Ruth Ginsburg was another corrupt one, taking lavish trips funded by Israeli billionaires. But whoops, I wasn't supposed to mention the ones people here may like.
Shhh only conservatives can be corrupt....
It’s not only which is an argument you just made up that nobody said, just overwhelmingly as backed up by charges and convictions.
Re: The US Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time
#85This has to be the most disappointing band-aid they possibly could've trotted out to the American Public. And by "Band-aid", I mean, "Piece of scotch tape they're slapping on a gaping wound and saying it's 'fixed'."
My biggest fear is that the American public is going to look at this and say to themselves "oh look, they fixed the problem!"
Re: The US Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time
#86The document itself: https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/Code-of-Conduct-for-Justi... >For the most part these rules and principles are not new: The Court has long had the equivalent of common law ethics rules, that is, a body of rules derived from a variety of sources, including statutory provisions, the code that applies to other members of the federal judiciary, ethics advisory opinions issued by the Judicial Confe…
There are no consequences and no requirements in the code. It accomplishes nothing. This is absolutely, positively worthless.
Yep. This might as well be a poem about squirrels for all the effect it will have on justices' behavior.
Re: The US Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time
#87This is a fine gesture, but it does not solve the fundamental problem that Supreme Court justices are an unelected super-government with lifetime appointments and zero accountability . The whole institution is absurd and undemocratic and, as Clarence Thomas has proved [0], ripe with opportunities for corruption. A non-binding code of ethics doesn't change that. [0]: https://www.propublica.org/series/supreme-court-sco…
How did the Supreme Court come into being? How has it been able to fly under the radar like this as being undemocratic?
Thanks for the answers :)
I'm from The Netherlands, so I'm lacking certain insights into the US
Re: The US Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
That may be true, but the extent of the reporting suggests that The Honorable Justice Thomas might be a bit more ethically lapsed.
I think it is due to the reporting. This is from 2019, but it shows both Ginsburg and Breyer were amongst the worst. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/06/scotus-justices-rac...
The worst at what? You’d have a point if they didn’t disclose their travel, but they did.
Clarence Thomas did not.
Re: The US Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it is due to the reporting. This is from 2019, but it shows both Ginsburg and Breyer were amongst the worst. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/06/scotus-justices-rac...
The worst at what? You’d have a point if they didn’t disclose their travel, but they did. Clarence Thomas did not.
They received significantly more trips paid by others than Thomas. That is what I meant by worse.
Also, as far as I can tell it looks like Thomas may have disclosed some of his trips. I'm not clear on that though. It is not clear how many trips the other justices took and didn't disclose.
Re: The US Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
> and zero accountability They can be impeached?
Impeachment is a political solution, though. Conviction in the house is a simple majority, but removal from office (or other forms of punishment) requires a 2/3 majority in the senate. That's not going to happen in the current environment, no matter how unsuitable an individual might be for office. It's accountability, but in theory only.
> It's accountability, but in theory only.
That's true for much more than the Supreme Court though.