CLC’s Kedric Payne on Effort to Pass Supreme Court Ethics Legislation in U.S. Senate

Washington, DC — Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will attempt to pass legislation that would strengthen Supreme Court ethics through a unanimous consent (UC) request. In advance, Kedric Payne, vice president, general counsel and senior director for ethics at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, issued the following statement: 

“At a time when there is renewed public attention on ethical controversies facing the Supreme Court, we applaud Senator Durbin, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and everyone in Congress who is working toward addressing this important issue. While all other members of the federal judiciary are expected to abide by enforceable ethics standards, the nine justices serving on our nation’s highest court operate with no enforcement mechanism to hold them accountable — to the detriment of public trust. 

"The American public needs to be assured that Supreme Court justices are indeed working in the public interest, given that trust in this branch of our federal government is essential for a functioning democracy. If the justices are unable or unwilling to do this on their own, then Congress must act.”