WASHINGTON \u2014 Two senators introduced a bipartisan bill on Wednesday aimed at forcing the Supreme Court to establish an ethics code after recent revelations that some justices had not disclosed gifts, travel and property deals.<\/p>\n
Senators Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with Democrats, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a centrist Republican, introduced the legislation, which would also require the court to appoint an official to examine potential conflicts and public complaints.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to help the court help themselves,\u201d Mr. King said.<\/p>\n
The legislation is the latest effort by lawmakers to pressure the court to increase transparency and better police itself. It is unclear how many Republicans will back the measure. Without their support, it is unlikely to pass in a divided Congress.<\/p>\n
Calls for an ethics code have intensified after recent reports underlined how few reporting requirements are in place and how compliance is often left to the justices themselves.<\/p>\n
The justices have said they follow the same general ethical standards that apply to other federal judges, but the lack of a binding code for the Supreme Court has been a point of contention.<\/p>\n
This month, ProPublica revealed that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of free gifts and travel from Harlan Crow, a Texas billionaire and Republican donor. Mr. Crow also bought a series of properties\u00a0from\u00a0the justice and his family, including the home of Justice Thomas\u2019s mother, in a deal worth\u00a0more than $100,000.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Politico reported that\u00a0Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and two partners had sold a vacation property to the chief of a major law firm, Greenberg Traurig, and that the justice had left blank a field in his disclosure form asking the identity of the buyer. The firm frequently has cases before the court.<\/p>\n
Under the measure, known as the Supreme Court Code of Conduct Act, the court would have to impose a code of conduct in a year, publish any rules\u00a0on its website, designate an official to handle violations and publish an annual report about any complaints and actions taken.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmericans have made clear their concerns with the transparency \u2014 or lack thereof \u2014 coming from the Supreme Court and its justices,\u201d Ms. Murkowski said in a statement. \u201cIt is critical the public has full faith that their institutions are functioning, including the judicial branch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, on Wednesday defended the \u201chigh ethical standards\u201d already in place at the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnlike the activists and elected Democrats trying to tear them down, the justices have proven their sobriety and their judicial temperament over their long and distinguished careers,\u201d Mr. McConnell said on the Senate floor.<\/p>\n
The bill is the latest effort by lawmakers\u00a0to hold the court more accountable. A measure introduced by\u00a0Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, the Rhode Island Democrat who oversees\u00a0the Senate Judiciary courts subcommittee, would require the court to adopt a code of conduct that is as rigorous as the rules governing members of Congress. It would also establish clear rules dictating when justices must recuse themselves from cases because of potential conflicts.<\/p>\n
Under legislation introduced by Senator Christopher S. Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policymaking body for the federal courts, would have to issue an ethics code that would apply to the court.<\/p>\n
Mr. King emphasized that the measure he and Ms. Murkowski were introducing sought to hold the justices to existing standards that apply to other federal judges.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem we have now is that there\u2019s no standards,\u201d he said. \u201cSo a justice can say, \u2018Well, I didn\u2019t violate anything here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n