Justice Barrett signals support for Supreme Court ethics code
She says there is ‘unanimity’ for change
WASHINGTON – Justice Amy Coney Barrett has signaled she supports a code of conduct for the Supreme Court, telling an audience in Minneapolis that such a code would be a “good idea.”
“I think 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’re doing,” Barrett said Monday at an event organized by the University of Minnesota Law School.
“There is no lack of consensus among the justices,” said Barrett, a member of the court’s conservative wing. “There’s unanimity among all nine justices that we should and do hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards possible.”
Barrett’s remarks were the latest from a justice indicating support for the idea of ethics changes at the high court. They came as the justices kick off a new term that features cases on guns rights, social media and the power of federal agencies to adopt regulations without express approval from Congress.
Last month, Justice Elena Kagan, a member of the court’s liberal wing, said she hoped her colleagues would adopt an ethics code of conduct, which she said might “go far in persuading other people that we were adhering to the highest standards of conduct.”
Barrett’s remarks come as the Supreme Court has been heavily criticized after a series of stories this year detailing lavish travel Justice Clarence Thomas accepted from GOP donor Harlan Crow, as well as revelations that Justice Samuel Alito flew to Alaska for a fishing trip on a private jet in 2008 that belonged to a hedge fund manager who repeatedly brought cases before the high court.
Barrett declined to say how long it might take the court to adopt a code of ethics.
“That’s something that I can’t really speak for the court about or make any sort of guess about,” she said.
Barrett is only the latest justice to weigh in on the question this year.
In May, weeks before the Supreme Court wrapped up its term, Chief Justice John Roberts told an audience he was committed to ensuring the “highest standards of conduct.”
Without offering specifics or addressing the recent controversies directly, Roberts framed the ethics debate as an “issue of concern inside the court.”
In early September, Justice Brett Kavanaugh signaled that the Supreme Court may take steps “soon” to address ethics scandals.
Kavanaugh said he was “hopeful” there would be “concrete steps taken soon on that.”