Americans expect their judicial branch to serve as an impartial arbiter of the law. For decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has met that expectation, enjoying a unique level of trust more than two third Americans express confidence in the institution.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!But recent revelations exposing the blatant disregard for ethics of Supreme Court judges have resulted in a full-blown crisis, with public confidence in the High Court falling to record lows. From Justice Clarence Thomas Undisclosed trips with GOP megadonors to Justice Neil Gorsuch suspicious real estate transactionsA clear culture of corruption has engulfed the court.
As scams are increasing and trust in the court is eroding All time low, there is no shortage of suggested solutions – from congressional investigations to ethics reforms. There are increasing calls for the resignation of judges for the most serious crimes.
But with the first weeks of the Supreme Court session gone and these same justices poised to issue decisions with wide-ranging implications, how can we restore confidence in the short term?
conflicting judges Sure Keep himself away from serious matters – especially those that would benefit his billionaire friends. If these judges refuse to budge, they choose their wealthy friends over ordinary Americans.
Ahead of the Court’s new term, Accountable.US partnered with more than 40 monitoring and accountability organizations demand Chief Justice Roberts has sought to take control of his court’s corruption crisis, urging him to ensure judges recuse themselves from important cases where their billionaire friends benefit.
conflicting judges Sure Keep himself away from serious matters – especially those that would benefit his billionaire friends. If these judges refuse to budge, they choose their wealthy friends over ordinary Americans.
We highlighted recent revelations exposing Justice Samuel Alito’s undisclosed luxury Alaska fishing trip with billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer, whose interests regularly come up before the Supreme Court – including Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) v. Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA)One of the most high-risk cases of this session.
Singer’s investment management firm, Elliott Investment Management, has called for the abolition of the CFPB and reforms undertaken after the 2008 recession brought on by a reckless financial sector. Calling the Dodd-Frank provisions “dysfunctional directives,” Singer’s hedge fund conveniently invests in a number of financial industry interests that would benefit from a Supreme Court decision crippling the CFPB.
Justice Alito’s billionaire friend is going to benefit a lot CFPB vs CFSA – But he refused to recuse himself from this important matter.
Alito is not the only justice whose close ties to billionaire friends threaten to further erode confidence in our Supreme Court. last month, ProPublica revealed The close ties between Justice Clarence Thomas and the notorious right-wing Koch network. Justice Thomas not only failed to disclose his attendance at the Koch-sponsored fundraising retreat, but organizers also took advantage of his participation to attract donations.
Koch is funded by Americans for Prosperity supporting the same CFPB vs CFSA Case.
but that’s not all.
Coach Network staff attorneys also represent plaintiffs Loper Bright Enterprises v. RaimondoImportant upcoming case challenging long-standing Chevron doctrine.
the coach has Work Chevron worked for years to overturn the award and dismantle the administrative state – challenging long-standing precedent in the courts, lobbying and funneling Congress to pass legislation overturning the decision. millions of dollars In grants to law professors providing legal support for Chevron’s challenge.
The complex conflict of interest is obvious. Justice Thomas should recuse himself Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, as he should CFPB vs. CFSA.
The cozy relationship between judges and these high-profile, politically active billionaires, who regularly bring cases before the High Court, poses a potential threat to our democracy and core institutions.
As we said in our letter to Chief Justice Roberts, “The federal disallowance statute Disqualification is required whenever a judge’s ‘impartiality can reasonably be questioned’, including circumstances in which the judge has ‘personal bias or prejudice in relation to a party to, or in relation to, the proceedings. The disputed evidence is personal knowledge of the facts.
There is no doubt that in both cases – CFPB vs CFSA And Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo – Personal bias exists, and the impartiality of Justices Alito and Thomas can undoubtedly be questioned.
But today, several weeks into the term, these judges have failed to even address the demand for their removal – leave alone their resignation. We cannot accept defeat. The stakes are very high.
We are once again asking that Chief Justice Roberts ensure that members of his Court who consistently violate ethical standards and have personal biases in upcoming cases do the same. The choice is simple: clean up the Court or oversee the most significant decline in trust in one of America’s most sacred institutions.
Source: www.commondreams.org
