My Citizen Legislators, the hits keep coming about the Supreme Court.  Today I want to discuss the recent lapses of members of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).  ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism with a moral force.  According to the ProPublica website, its mission is – To expose abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust by government, business, and other institutions, using the moral force of investigative journalism to spur reform through the sustained spotlighting of wrongdoing.

 ProPublica investigating stories have shed sunshine on how members of SCOTUS have crossed the ethical line, and the integrity of the court is in question.  The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Supreme Court Ethics Reform on May 2, 2023.  Witnesses testifying at the hearing were: 

The Honorable Jeremy Fogel

Executive Director, Berkeley Judicial Institute and Former U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of CA

University of California, Berkeley Law School

Washington, D.C.

Kedric Payne

Vice President, General Counsel, & Senior Director of Ethics

Campaign Legal Center

Washington, D.C.

Amanda Frost

John A. Ewald Jr. Research Professor of Law

University of Virginia School of Law

Charlottesville, VA

The Honorable Michael B. Mukasey

Former United States Attorney General and Former U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of NY

New York, NY

Thomas H. Dupree Jr.

Partner and Co-Chair of the Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Group

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

Washington, D.C.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) invited SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts to testify and he declined.  He called such testimony by chief justice’s was “exceedingly rare”.   

Forbes.com  Here Are The Recent Controversies Supreme Court Justices Have Been Caught Up In—As Senate Hears Case For Code Of Ethics

The Senate committee will hold a hearing on Supreme Court ethics reform with a panel of legal experts, after committee chair Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) invited Chief Justice John Roberts to testify at the hearing and he declined.

Lawmakers have renewed their push for a binding ethics code—which the justices do not have, unlike lower federal judges—following ProPublica reports detailing Justice Clarence Thomas’ dealings with GOP megadonor Harlan Crow, whom Thomas has reportedly accepted gifts and luxury travel from for years without disclosing it as federal law requires.

Crow also purchased real estate in Savannah, Georgia, from Thomas in 2014—including the home where the justice’s mother reportedly still lives—ProPublica reported, which was also not disclosed as required.

Thomas has also drawn significant controversy over his wife, Ginni Thomas’ right-wing activism, particularly as she supported efforts to overturn the 2020 election as Thomas heard cases on it, and the justice has been