Recent revelations of very expensive vacation trips enjoyed by Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are shocking. None of these trips were disclosed on either of their financial report forms, despite having been paid for by wealthy Republican individuals having multiple cases brought before the Supreme Court. Neither justice ever recused himself from these cases. The U.S. Supreme Court has no code of ethics.
By comparison, the judiciary of Pennsylvania does have a Code of Judicial Conduct. The code is quite long, but here is a quote from its Canon 2: “Note: Public confidence in the judiciary is eroded by irresponsible or improper conduct by judges. Judges must avoid all impropriety and appearance of impropriety. They must expect to be the subject of constant public scrutiny. They must therefore accept restrictions on their conduct that might be viewed as burdensome by the ordinary citizen and should do so freely and willingly.”
Why does our U. S. Supreme Court avoid adopting such a sensible ethics code? It is little wonder that only 40%, a new low, according to a recent Gallup Poll, approve of the job this court is doing.
Charles Henry
Greensburg