AFJ Joins Members of Congress, Concerned Groups, Law Professors, and 100,000 Americans in Calling for Ethics Reform at the Supreme Court

Washington, D.C., March 6, 2012—Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron today joined three members of Congress, several concerned organizations, 212 law professors, and over 100,000 citizens in calling for the Supreme Court of the United States to voluntarily agree to formally adopt the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges and put an end to the ethical ambiguity that has damaged public confidence in the Court and its justices.

Speaking at a press conference on the steps of the Supreme Court along with Congresswomen Louise Slaughter and Eleanor Holmes Norton and Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Aron called for immediate ethics reform, saying, “It’s no secret that this is going to be a landmark year for the Supreme Court. There will be big cases and intense public scrutiny. If there ever was a time for the Court to buttress public confidence in its propriety and objectivity, this is it. With so much at stake, there must be no hint of favoritism or bias. We can’t afford to have any questions of integrity looming over the justices.”

Aron explained that there is a Code of Conduct for federal judges that clearly mandates that judges not engage in political activity, that they don’t lend their name to private fundraising causes, and that they avoid even an appearance of impropriety. “But amazingly,” she said, “the justices of the Supreme Court are exempt.  The Code doesn’t apply to them. The result is a growing integrity gap … a gap that could be closed if the Court simply, finally, and formally adopted the Code and strictly followed its provisions.”

With several justices attending blatantly political functions and lending their names to fundraisers for ideological groups, more and more Americans are becoming concerned that ideology and politics may guide justices’ decisions in some of the nation’s most important and controversial cases. The Code of Conduct sets out ethical guidelines designed to ensure that there can be no doubt that judges’ decisions are reached based solely on the facts and the law.

Alliance for Justice was joined at the press conference by representatives of Common Cause and Credo Action, who together delivered to Chief Justice John Roberts petitions with over 100,000 signatures from citizens demanding that the Court agree to adopt the Code and close the ethical loopholes that threaten public confidence in the high court.

In addition, Professor William Yeomans of the Washington School of Law at American University, unveiled a letter signed by 212 law professors asking the Supreme Court itself to initiate the process of formally adopting the Code of Conduct. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here.

The growing calls for ethics reform come in the wake of several instances of ethically questionable behavior by some justices, declining public confidence in the Court, and a report issued by Chief Justice Roberts in December saying the justices don’t need binding ethics rules and inferring that no one can tell them otherwise. At today’s press conference, Aron disagreed, saying, “John Roberts is wrong. He is risking the trust of the American people. It’s time to close the ethics loophole, once and for all. This simple voluntary act of adopting the Code would serve as an important signal to an increasingly skeptical public that the Court gets it. The time for accountability is now.”

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Extensive background materials on Supreme Court ethics rules and current controversies are available for download at www.aquestionofintegrity.org. The issue is also discussed in AFJ’s new short documentary film, A Question of Integrity: Politics, Ethics, and the Supreme Court, which can be viewed online.

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Alliance for Justice is a national association of over 100 organizations, representing a broad array of groups committed to progressive values and the creation of an equitable, just, and free society. AFJ works to ensure that the federal judiciary advances core constitutional values, preserves human rights and unfettered access to the courts, and adheres to the even-handed administration of justice for all Americans. It is the leading expert on the legal framework for nonprofit advocacy efforts, providing definitive information, resources, and technical assistance that encourages organizations and their funding partners to fully exercise their right to be active participants in the democratic process. AFJ is based in Washington, D.C.