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Ethics Reform

All articles tagged with #ethics reform

politics5 months ago

Senate Advances Stock Trading Ban Amid Political Tensions

Senator Josh Hawley and Democrats in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs advanced a bill that would ban members of Congress from buying, selling, or owning individual stocks, with some Republicans opposing the measure. The legislation aims to increase ethical standards and transparency among lawmakers, requiring them to sell their stocks within 180 days and submit annual compliance certifications. The bill has garnered mixed reactions, including support from Nancy Pelosi and criticism from President Trump.

via CBS News|
#congress#ethics-reform#hawley
politics2 years ago

Senate Advances Supreme Court Ethics Reform Bill

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is facing pressure from Democrats to bring the party's Supreme Court ethics legislation to the Senate floor, despite the expectation that it will be filibustered. Democrats believe that forcing Republicans to reject the ethics measure could have political consequences and help remind voters of the conservative rulings made by the Supreme Court. They also hope that the added national visibility of a floor vote could pressure the court to establish stricter rules. However, moderate Republicans like Senator Lisa Murkowski have expressed concerns about the legislation, arguing that it is too prescriptive and violates the separation of powers. If the bill were to somehow survive a GOP filibuster, it would still face significant challenges in the Republican-controlled House.

via POLITICO|
#chuck-schumer#ethics-reform#filibuster
politics2 years ago

"Push for Supreme Court Ethics Reform Gains Momentum"

A Senate panel heard testimony on a Democratic-led bill that would implement ethics and transparency reforms at the Supreme Court. The bill would require the court to adopt a code of conduct, create a process for the public to lodge formal ethics complaints against the justices, and beef up its recusal requirements. The hearing comes amid recent media reports about Justice Clarence Thomas’ pattern of nondisclosure on his financial reports for years and the court’s continued resistance to calls for it to implement a formal ethics code. A law professor urged Congress to reject the proposed reforms, arguing that they represent a legislative overreach.

via CNN|
#clarence-thomas#congress#ethics-reform
politics2 years ago

Senate Finance Chair considers subpoena for Harlan Crow over Clarence Thomas ties.

The Senate Finance Committee is considering issuing a subpoena to GOP megadonor Harlan Crow after he refused to provide information about his ties to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, including gifts and accommodations. The committee's chairman, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, accused Crow of "doubling down on bogus legal theories." Wyden has requested information about the gifts and trips Thomas received from Crow over their 25-year friendship, as well as properties Crow bought from Thomas and his relatives. Democrats have warned they could take legislative action to strengthen the ethical rules that govern the justices.

via CBS News|
#clarence-thomas#ethics-reform#harlan-crow
politics2 years ago

Senator asserts Congress' authority to impose ethics reform on Supreme Court.

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has said that Congress can impose ethics reform on the US Supreme Court, despite arguments made by Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow and Chief Justice John Roberts. Whitehouse has called for the judicial conference to put constraints around the Supreme Court's behavior and treat it like all other federal judges. Supreme Court justices are nominally subject to federal ethics laws but in practice govern themselves. Whitehouse has campaigned against so-called “dark money” in US politics and has called the Roberts court a “fact-free zone as well as an ethics-free zone”.

via The Guardian|
#clarence-thomas#ethics-reform#harlan-crow
politics2 years ago

Chief Justice Roberts Addresses Ethics and Controversial Decisions at Supreme Court

Chief Justice John Roberts said that the hardest decision he had to make in his 18 years in the job was to order the erection of fences and barricades around the Supreme Court last year after the leak of the ruling that rolled back abortion rights. Roberts appeared defensive about the court's reputation amid questions about its legitimacy and calls for ethics reform. He bemoaned public criticism of the judiciary, including protests outside the homes of justices, and indicated that the court could make its own reforms and hold itself to the highest standards. The court is about to head into the final stretch of its current term, which concludes at the end of June.

via NBC News|
#abortion-rights#ethics-reform#john-roberts
politics2 years ago

Harlan Crow Defies Senate Requests for Information on Clarence Thomas Ties.

GOP donor Harlan Crow rejected requests from the Senate Judiciary Committee for information on the gifts, trips, and travel accommodations he has given to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, claiming the committee lacks the authority to probe Crow's relationship with the justice. Crow's lawyer also claimed that Congress does not have the constitutional authority to impose ethics rules and standards on the Supreme Court. Several legislative proposals have been introduced in the House and Senate that would require a code of conduct for the Supreme Court, instituted either by an outside entity such as the Judicial Conference or by the court itself.

via CBS News|
#clarence-thomas#ethics-reform#harlan-crow
politics2 years ago

Harlan Crow Defies Democrats' Probe into Ties with Clarence Thomas.

Harlan Crow, a real-estate billionaire and GOP megadonor, is refusing to cooperate with a Senate Judiciary Committee probe into his relationship with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and pattern of expensive gifts. Crow's lawyer argued that the panel did not have the authority to investigate his personal friendship with Thomas. Senate Democrats have accused Crow of targeting Justice Thomas for special and unwarranted opprobrium. Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin pledged to continue pressing for a substantive response to their information requests to help restore trust in the Supreme Court.

via POLITICO|
#clarence-thomas#ethics-reform#harlan-crow
politics2 years ago

Calls for Ethics Code and Accountability in Supreme Court

Retired federal Judge Michael Luttig, a former Supreme Court contender, has called for the Supreme Court to adopt a stronger code of conduct and abide by the same ethical standards as other federal judges. Luttig's comments come amid growing concerns over the lack of disclosure of high-cost gifts, expenses, and business dealings by several Supreme Court justices. Luttig believes that the Supreme Court should lead by example and conduct itself in a way that is beyond reproach. The Supreme Court is the only judicial body in the U.S. that isn't governed by a formal code of ethics, though it is subject to some federal statutes that impose ethical standards on all federal judges.

via NPR|
#code-of-conduct#ethics-reform#harlan-crow
politics2 years ago

"U.S. Supreme Court Under Scrutiny for Ethics and Gift-Giving"

The Senate Judiciary Committee has asked billionaire Harlan Crow to provide a full accounting of the free travel and other gifts he has made to Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas or any other justice, marking an escalation of the powerful committee’s efforts to convince the Supreme Court to adopt stricter ethical standards for itself. The Judiciary Committee is now the second Senate committee to target Crow after ProPublica reported that the Republican donor invited Thomas on pricey vacations, bought his mother’s house, and provided Thomas’ grandnephew with private school tuition, most of which were not disclosed by the justice.

via The Washington Post|
#clarence-thomas#ethics-reform#harlan-crow
politics2 years ago

Calls for Supreme Court Ethics Reform Grow Amidst Controversy

Republicans and allies defending Justice Clarence Thomas against recent ethics lapses claims have cited examples of liberal Supreme Court justices making similar misjudgments or nondisclosures, making the case for bipartisan ethics reform. Advocates for reform say that the perception of ethical issues at the Supreme Court is a problem, and the court should take action itself. Legislation has been introduced that would require the Supreme Court to adopt a code of ethics similar to the one that binds lower court judges. Democrats have renewed calls for legislative action on a code of conduct, and former federal judges have testified that a code of conduct would provide a common framework for assessing the actions of justices.

via NBC News|
#clarence-thomas#democrats#ethics-reform
politics2 years ago

Billionaire Paid Tuition for Child Raised by Clarence Thomas.

Dallas real estate billionaire Harlan Crow paid tuition for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ grandnephew for two years at two private boarding schools, according to a statement released Thursday by a longtime friend of Thomas’. The revelation of the tuition payments deepens the financial ties between Crow, a Republican megadonor, and Thomas, who earns $285,000 a year as a Supreme Court justice. Last month, ProPublica reported that Crow had paid for decades of luxury vacations and travel for Thomas and his wife and had bought the home of Thomas’ mother, making tens of thousands of dollars of improvements to it.

via ProPublica|
#clarence-thomas#ethics-reform#harlan-crow
politics2 years ago

Guilty verdicts for 'ComEd Four' send shockwaves through Illinois politics.

The ComEd Four have been found guilty on all counts in the Commonwealth Edison bribery trial, prompting reactions from Illinois politicians. Many are calling for ethics reform and an end to the culture of corruption in state government. State Rep. Blaine Wilhour says that while justice is being served, the influence peddling and backroom cronyism in Illinois politics are still the norm. House Republican Leader Tony McCombie says the trial has exposed the broken system of doing business in Springfield. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker believes the verdicts prove that no one is above the law.

via Chicago Sun-Times|
#comed-four#corruption#ethics-reform