House Democrats sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts asking him to answer questions about whether the Supreme Court would enforce their ethics rules against Alito.
Read: Samuel Alito Is The Insurrectionist Threat To Democracy On The Supreme Court
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) wrote to Roberts:
The Supreme Court Code of Conduct, adopted on November 13, 2023, “stipulates
Concisely gather in one place the ethical rules and principles that guide an organization’s behavior
Members of the Court.
Support or oppose candidates for public office.
“Judges should disqualify themselves from proceedings in which they are not impartial
is likely to be subject to reasonable doubt, that is, a fair and reasonable person would know
All relevant circumstances cast doubt on the judge’s ability to discharge his or her duties fairly
Responsibilities.
Judge Alito appears to have violated both rules. By allowing inversion flag
Justice Alito, who will be flying out of his home for days, appears supportive
Candidates who are still running for office today. In addition, there are reports that on January 17,
The 2021 incident may be part of a broader pattern of similar unethical behavior.
Any reasonable person who knew that Justice Alito had repeatedly publicly expressed support for the former president—including shortly after the Capitol attack—would
rightly questioning his ability to remain impartial in any case involving Donald Trump.
Yet Justice Alito continues to hear cases involving Donald Trump. The Supreme Court appropriately ruled in Trump v. Anderson on March 4, 2024, and Justice Alito did not recuse himself.
He also participated in oral arguments in Trump v. United States, a case that will determine whether and to what extent the president is immune from criminal prosecution. The verdict in this case will have wide-ranging consequences – the former president will face 91 felony charges in state and federal courts. There are also cases that have yet to emerge. When Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, he filed more than 60 cases in courts across the country.
Since there is no reason to believe that he will act differently if he loses again in 2024, it is possible that the Supreme Court will once again decide the fate of our country. In a court statement issued as a preface to the Code of Conduct, you wrote: “The absence of a code… has given rise in recent years to the misunderstanding that the judges of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, do not consider themselves bound by any moral rules limits.
Adopting a code of ethics is intended to correct this misunderstanding, but adopting
The ethics code and failure to enforce it only reinforces the perception that the Supreme Court
Judges act without consequences for manifestly unethical conduct.
Democrats appear to be doing everything they can to draw attention to the conservative Supreme Court’s refusal to hold itself accountable. Alito rejects request to recuse himself from upcoming 1/6 cases.
House Democrats want answers, and while Roberts may be able to hold them back for now, it seems increasingly likely that investigating the conduct of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority will become a priority if Democrats regain the House majority.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press corps and a congressional reporter for PoliticusUSA. Jason holds a BA in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, particularly social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of Society of Professional Journalists and American Political Science Association
