The Facts
The Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee is set to debate and vote on Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s (D-R.I.) proposed law that would impose a binding ethics code and new financial disclosure and case recusal requirements on the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS).
Thursday’s vote comes over a week after Whitehouse and Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced the bill that would give the court 180 days to adopt a code of conduct and allow a panel of lower court judges to review public ethics complaints.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Not only does Congress have the authority to regulate Supreme Court ethics, but it also must ensure that justice is not perverted by a rogue court whose justices have a clear proclivity for corruption. Multiple reports have revealed a long list of gifts and accommodations given to conservative justices by right-wing billionaires, yet there's no rule demanding the justices disclose these potential conflicts of interest. SCOTUS' integrity is at an all-time low as radical conservatives erode the rights of women and people of color, which is why we need this law.
Republican narrative
Democrats have been trying to delegitimize SCOTUS ever since Donald Trump nominated his first justice, and the liberal establishment even incited abuse and attacks on justices and their families. The corporate media has been trying to gin up controversy about conservative justices going on trips with wealthy friends to sway public opinion and allow their leftist friends to impose new laws to diminish the court’s power. This is a political game, and Democrats are desperate for revenge against a court that dares to rule against the left’s woke social agenda.
