The U.S. Supreme Court, the court of last resort for our nation’s most pressing issues, has recently come under question for a perceived lack of ethics, raising concerns among legal professionals globally. Among those posing their doubts is Chris Williams of Above The Law, who has voiced his critique of the Supreme Court’s apparent lack of accountability.
Williams points out that over the last two years, the number of Supreme Court ethical debacles has rapidly increased. His concerns are amplified by Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s recent remarks, reported in the ABA Journal, expressing hope for “concrete steps” in ethics reforms.
Kavanaugh’s response has been criticized by Williams as insufficient in a situation where some Supreme Court members have been recurring offenders. According to Williams, Kavanaugh’s statement sounds like a feeble response, especially once Chief Justice Roberts released a pledge for everyone to improve their ethical conduct and was promptly undermined by actions of other Justices.
Williams believes increasing public confidence in the court isn’t difficult if the justices could follow some simple rules. He suggests they should stop accepting large sums of money from doubtful sources, ensure accurate and timely declarations, and they should recuse themselves from cases that may cause suspicion of impropriety.
Justice Kavanaugh’s hopeful attitude towards implementing ‘concrete steps’ on the ethical front at the apex court, though welcome, has been perceived by some as entering the ‘hopes and wishes’ phase of the Supreme Court’s accountability.
For too many, the hope is that the court will start rigorously adhering to higher ethical standards and maintaining transparency in their actions rather than only carrying the promise of change. As the nation’s court of last resort, the Supreme Court needs to uphold faith in its integrity and impartiality.
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