More Is Needed to Build Trust and Address the Escalating Ethics Crisis at Our Supreme Court

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McNeil, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court adopted a code of conduct:

“Our Supreme Court must be held to the highest standard. The adoption of a code of conduct for Supreme Court justices is a necessary step toward ensuring that we have a federal judiciary that is fair, impartial, and free of corruption. But we have long called for an enforceable code of conduct that helps the public and all parties before the Court know that the Court and its justices are fair and impartial. While it’s clear the justices are hearing us and feel pressure to act, today’s action falls short. More must be done to improve transparency and ensure this code of conduct has meaningful enforcement. It is also critical that ongoing oversight and accountability efforts continue so that abuses of power don’t go unchecked. Ultimately, it remains the case that congressional action is needed to confront this crisis — because the Supreme Court must work for all of us, not just the billionaires and corporations.

“For our democracy to function and for there to be equal justice in America, all people must be able to trust that federal judges and justices make decisions without bias and free from undue influence. Addressing this crisis is a critical component to building an equal justice judiciary that works for everyone, and these efforts must persist alongside our ongoing push to confirm highly qualified federal judges who are professionally and demographically diverse and committed to civil and human rights. Communities across the nation depend on federal jurists to fairly administer justice for all people, and we must do whatever it takes to ensure that they do.”

In April, The Leadership Conference and more than 50 national organizations wrote to members of Congress calling for swift action to address the ongoing ethics crisis.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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