US: Former federal judge says Supreme Court justices must have stricter ethics code

A former conservative United States appeals court judge has called for a stronger ethics code on the Supreme Court justices. The call follows reports of conservative justice Clarence Thomas’ relations with a major Republican megadonor.

In an interview with Reuters, former judge J. Michael Luttig said Supreme Court justices must be bound to a stronger ethics code compared to lower court judges. Luttig served as a clerk for Chief Justice Warren Burger before serving on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals for 15 years. Luttig is also known to have testified before the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection.

Luttig said the justices must “be bound by higher standards of conduct” compared to lower-ranked federal judges.

“It’s the titular head of the judicial branch of government and I believe that the expectations for the Supreme Court Justices are rightly tighter than for any other public official in the land,” said Luttig. The former judge did not comment, however, when pressed by Reuters on the report by ProPublica that revealed the relationship between Thomas and Crow that included real estate purchases and luxury trips paid for by the GOP megadonor.

The reports have since raised questions over potential conflicts of interest in the courts, especially as Supreme Court Justices are not bound to a code of conduct. Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin scheduled a hearing on the matter next week, inviting Chief Justice John Roberts to testify before the committee. Roberts declined to testify in a letter to Durbin on Thursday.

Durbin responded to Roberts’ letter in a statement, saying that ethics reform for the Supreme Court must happen whether or not the justices participate in the process. Durbin also stressed the need for Congress to establish a code of ethics for the highest court in the country.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department has challenged a new law in Tennessee that banned doctors from providing gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery. The DOJ said the law violated the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which promised equal protection.

The DOJ also said it was requesting the court to issue an immediate order preventing the law from taking effect on July 1.