The Facts
The US Supreme Court on Monday revealed its first formal code of conduct, following scrutiny concerning the ethics of behavior by justices on America's highest court.
In a statement released with the code, the nine justices claimed that the purpose of the document was to "dispel" the "misunderstanding" that members of SCOTUS' bench are "unrestricted by any ethics rules."
The Spin
Democratic narrative
There's no reason to celebrate the Supreme Court's self-imposed code of ethics. A lack of an enforcement mechanism — leaving judges to decide whether they have violated their own rules –—means that, in reality, nothing has changed. Language by the justices accusing America of "misunderstanding" what many view as clear cases of public corruption portrays arrogance, and pressure must continue to be applied in order for real reform to occur.
Republican narrative
SCOTUS reforms will never be able to go far enough to appease the left, which has launched a sustained campaign to undermine the court's every move and diminish its power. In an effort to delegitimize the nation's highest court, Democrats and their media allies have been trying to gin up controversy about conservative justices who dare to rule against their woke social agenda. Caving to their outlandish demands will only further incentivize them.
