Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) said that the Supreme Court should create a code of ethics or Congress should provide one for them.
Hirono shared the remarks during an interview on "CNN News Central."
Hirono: If SCOTUS Doesn‘t Adopt a Code of Ethics Congress Will Provide One for Them https://t.co/zDmzyL7mAN via @BreitbartNews Congress first.
— MICHAEL BRELISH (@MichaelBrelish) July 21, 2023
“Let’s understand that the United States Supreme Court does not have a code of ethics that apply to all other federal judges. So, the highest court in the land should set the highest standard, they do not. So, this is a bill that would do that," Hirono said.
"And what will it do? It will establish a procedure for investigating ethical violations, it will make much clearer recusal requirements and the third is to give the court time to adopt a code of ethics and if they do not, then one will be provided to them," she added.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 to advance legislation that would create a code of ethics for Supreme Court justices https://t.co/qRnNQdmyIc
— CNN (@CNN) July 21, 2023
"The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 to advance legislation that would create a code of ethics for Supreme Court justices," CNN reported.
"The bill advanced on party lines, with 11 Democrats voting for the bill and 10 Republicans voting against. It is not expected to get the 60 votes required to advance on the Senate floor – and even if it did, it would also likely fail in the GOP-controlled House," it added.
Senate Judiciary Committee votes to advance legislation that would require the Supreme Court to adopt a binding code of ethics more stringent disclosure requirements and explain recusal decisions to the public. https://t.co/rPIHTaq6SJ
— ABC News (@ABC) July 20, 2023
"This is a bill not designed to make the court stronger or more ethical, but to destroy a conservative court," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). "It’s a bill to rearrange the makeup of how the court governs itself."
"The bill would mandate greater oversight of the justices -- binding them to the same disclosure rules for gifts, travel and income as apply to lower court judges -- and create a system to investigate complaints about their behavior," ABC News added.
Some experts also question whether the action violates the Constitution's separation of powers between the two branches of government.
The controversy is likely to continue, with the Senate under Democratic control and the House under a Republican majority.
The decision may not pass a final vote in Congress but the effort is close and gaining momentum in a time when the left is doing anything it can to slow down conservatives on the Supreme Court.
