Barrett backs adopting ethics code for U.S. Supreme Court
MINNEAPOLIS — Justice Amy Coney Barrett has said that she favored an ethics code for the Supreme Court, joining the growing chorus of justices who have publicly backed adopting such rules.
“It would be a good idea for us to do it, particularly so that we can communicate to the public exactly what it is that we are doing in a clearer way,” she said Monday during a wide-ranging conversation at the University of Minnesota Law School with Robert Stein, a longtime law professor and the former chief operating officer of the American Bar Association.
Addressing a full auditorium that seats more than 2,600 people, Barrett added that “all nine justices are very committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct.” But she said she could not speak for the court on a timeline, or precisely what such a code might look like.
The justices have faced intense pressure over their ethics practices in recent months after revelations that some had failed to report gifts and luxury travel. That includes Justice Clarence Thomas, who repeatedly took lavish trips with Harlan Crow, a Texas billionaire and conservative donor, and Justice Samuel Alito, who flew on the private jet of Paul Singer, a hedge fund billionaire who frequently has had business before the court.
There was a heavy security presence at the event Monday, held on the leafy campus in Minneapolis, including sweeps with police dogs and rows of metal barricades.
Demonstrators interrupted shortly after the conversation began. As Barrett spoke, a handful of people in a balcony stood up and unfurled banners, nodding to her vote to overturn the landmark ruling Roe v. Wade and end a constitutional right to an abortion after nearly 50 years. One sign read, “Abort the court” in black letters.
“Not the court, not the state, people must decide their fate!” they chanted. Law enforcement officers escorted the group from the auditorium.
Several questions by Stein alluded to Barrett’s role in solidifying a conservative majority on the Supreme Court. But the justice painted an image of the court as a collegial place, regardless of how vehemently they disagreed in their written opinions.
“The fire gets put on the page, but it is not expressed in interpersonal relationships,” she said. “We are in the building with each other. Justices have lunch every day that we have oral argument and every day after conference.”
Barrett described throwing a welcome party for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the newest justice and the first Black woman on the court. After some sleuthing, Barrett said she discovered her colleague’s love of the musical “Hamilton” and hired a Broadway actor to serenade her.
She said Justice Sonia Sotomayor showed Barrett kindness from her first moments at the court, making Halloween candy bags for her children days after she was confirmed in October 2020.
When Stein pointed out that Barrett, who has seven children, “may be the first mother with minor children to serve on the court,” she replied that she probably faced the same struggles as most working mothers.
She mentioned missing a lunch with the other justices because of a child care issue. She said that her evenings were often spent at volleyball games or other events for her children and that she recently volunteered to serve hot lunches at one child’s school.
As the talk neared the end, Stein bluntly asked Barrett if she enjoyed being on the court.
“It has its ups and downs,” she said to laughter from the audience. “Enjoying myself isn’t quite the right word that I would use. But it’s a privilege to serve, and I have no regrets about undertaking the service.”
She added that she struggled with the real-world consequences of the court’s rulings. She recalled announcing from the bench a unanimous decision that denied a disability benefit to a military veteran and having to look service members in the eyes as she did so. The death penalty decisions also weigh heavily on her, she said.
But, she added, “It’s your head, not your heart that has to make the decisions, but you should never lose sight of the fact that your decisions affect real people, and you should never lose your heart.”