Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said in an interview published Sunday that she supports proposals to introduce a “mandatory code of ethics” for Supreme Court judges.
“A mandatory code of ethics is pretty standard for judges, and I think the question is, ‘Is the Supreme Court any different?'” Jackson asked about his new memoir in an interview with “CBS News Sunday Morning,” adding: “I think there’s a compelling case for why.” I didn’t see a reason [Supreme] The court is different from other courts.”
The issue of ethics at the Supreme Court has entered the public arena in recent years, as stories have emerged of justices failing to disclose certain lavish gifts on ethics disclosure forms.
For example, Justice Clarence Thomas accepted luxury gifts and travel From GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow. None of this was officially disclosed before ProPublica to report Trips in 2023 and Crow.
When asked directly about those visits, Jackson said “the other justices are not going to comment on the interpretations of the rules or what they’re doing.”
Earlier this summer, President Joe Biden proposed a reform plan including a call for Congress to subject the Supreme Court to an enforceable code, including the same disclosure rules for gifts, financial dealings and political activities that other federal judges face.
While the proposal would include an enforceable code of ethics for the court, Jackson declined to say whether there is a specific proposal on the table that he supports.
“I think I support it as a general matter. I’m not going to comment on specific policy proposals, but from my perspective, I have no problem with the code being enforceable,” Jackson said.
He also spoke about the recently initiated case before the Supreme Court regarding the immunity of the president due to official activities in office.
Court In July, it ruled that former President Donald Trump has immunity in the federal election meddling case for some of his conduct as president, but not for other actions.
Jackson opposition writing that the decision “breaks new and dangerous ground” in this case. On Sunday, he told CBS that he’s “concerned about a system that provides immunity for an individual in a situation when we usually have a criminal justice system that treats everyone the same.
Asked if he was ready to potentially decide the outcome of the upcoming presidential election or settle any disputes surrounding it, Jackson laughed and said he was “as ready as anyone can be.”
“I think there are legal challenges that arise from political processes, and so the Supreme Court should be prepared to respond if necessary,” he said.