REPUBLICANS BLOCK SUPREME COURT ETHICS BILL, AMID ALITO FLAG CONTROVERSY AND UPCOMING TRUMP IMMUNITY DECISION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
JUNE 12, 2024
PRESS CONTACT:
Sarah Harris, [email protected]
The blockade comes after Stand Up America and other progressive groups joined Reps. Johnson and Jayapal urging Senate leaders to bring SCOTUS reform legislation to the Senate floor
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senate Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act, legislation that would require the Supreme Court to adopt a binding code of conduct for all Justices, establish procedures to investigate complaints of judicial misconduct, and adopt rules to disclose gifts, travel, and income received by the Justices and law clerks that are at least as rigorous as congressional disclosure rules. Since Senate Republicans denied unanimous consent, the Senate was not able to vote on the bill.
Stand Up America’s Executive Director, Christina Harvey, released the following statement:
“The Supreme Court clearly can’t and won’t police itself. Time and again, the right-wing majority on the Court has shown that it is unwilling to abide by basic rules of ethics. Passing the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act was an opportunity to guarantee basic ethics standards and restore some trust in the highest court in our country.
“80% of voters want Congress to pass a binding code of ethics for the Supreme Court. Senate Republicans just showed how out of touch they are with what most Americans want—a Supreme Court free of corruption—when they refused to hold our Supreme Court justices accountable to the same ethical standards that apply to members of Congress and public servants across the country.
“Thankfully, this vote is not the end of the line. Stand Up America’s nearly 2 million members are fired up and ready to continue advocating for Supreme Court reform—in Congress and at the ballot box.”
On May 29, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito sent a letter to Senators Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse, senior members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, rejecting their calls for his recusal from cases involving January 6th. Durbin and Whitehouse also urged Chief Justice John Roberts to act, however, Justice Roberts declined to meet with Democrats about ethics concerns amid the scandal.
Stand Up America has been a leading voice advocating for Supreme Court reform, Stand Up America community members across the country have driven over 800,000 constituent calls and emails to Congress calling for legislative action on Supreme Court reform, and they will continue calling, writing, and getting out the vote for democracy defenders until Congress finally acts.
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About Stand Up America
Stand Up America is a progressive advocacy organization with nearly two million community members across the country. Focused on grassroots advocacy to stand up to corruption and voter suppression and build a more representative democracy, Stand Up America has driven over 1.7 million calls to lawmakers, registered over 100,000 voters, mobilized thousands of protestors, and contacted tens of millions of voters.
Website: StandUpAmerica.com
Twitter: @StandUpAmerica
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Facebook: @StandUpAmerica