Pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act

The recent revelations about Justice Clarence Thomas’s undisclosed property sales and vacations funded by a Republican megadonor underscore the urgent need for greater transparency and ethical standards in our Supreme Court. Since the Court will not police itself, I urge you to support Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act. Whitehouse’s comprehensive, bicameral SCERT Act, co-led by Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, would create a much-needed process for investigating misconduct at the Supreme Court, strengthen recusal standards for judges and disclosure rules for special interests trying to influence the courts, improve disclosure of ‘personal hospitality’ gifts and travel for judges, and mandate the creation of a binding code of ethics. I also call upon you to exercise any power you have to refer Justice Thomas to the U.S. Attorney General for his apparent disregard for disclosure laws and to call upon Chief Justice John Roberts to investigate Justice Thomas’s relationship with Harlan Crow.