Weekly Spotlight: A baffling step backward

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The body that establishes federal judiciary policy released an antithetical ethics rule revision that has made it so federal judges don't have to disclose instances when they dine or lodge at someone’s personal residence.

The Judicial Conference’s revised rule also applies to Supreme Court justices, who are technically subject to the federal judiciary’s regulations for ethics, disclosure, and recusal — though they are notably not subject to any enforcement mechanism.

That means that instances like Justice Clarence Thomas’ vacation at billionaire and GOP megadonor Harlan Crow’s private resort Camp Topridge could go unreported and unquestioned under the guise of personal hospitality.

The revised ethics regulation further obscures attempts to influence the court, as well as unethical conduct by the justices. We’re deeply disappointed with the Judicial Conference’s move to weaken accountability. With the ethics crisis the Supreme Court has been embroiled in for over a year, any revisions to regulations should improve transparency — not further deter it.

It’s clearly time for Congress to take action. A draft bill called the High Court Gift Ban Act is making the rounds and will likely be introduced in the Senate soon. We support the gift ban bill, and share the belief that it’ll take more than just an ethics code to preserve the integrity of the court.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

[Trump is] going to be in a position by who he appoints to be on these commissions, and whether they have sort of an alignment in his business interests to help his company do well and avoid obviously those regulations.

Danielle Brian, Executive Director, on NPR

ONE LINERS

“It’s a huge potential conflict of interest, It’s all the same problems, but I’d say ratcheted up a bit from last time.”

Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, Director of Government Affairs, in Politico

“This is about making sure that things that are supposed to be public [on paper] are actually public in practice.” 

Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, Director of Government Affairs, in Wake Up to Politics