NY Times bombshell: right-wing Supreme Court corruption

 

Thu, Jan 12 at 1:10 PM

The New York Times just published the latest bombshell about right-wing corruption of the Supreme Court.1 At the center of this latest scandal is a little-known nonprofit organization called the Supreme Court Historical Society, which is ostensibly devoted to preserving and explaining the court’s history. But wealthy right-wing special interests like the NRA, Big Oil, and the anti-abortion movement have turned this organization into a vehicle for buying access and influence with Supreme Court justices like Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh. In fact, of the nearly $11 million in donations the paper could trace, almost two-thirds came from parties who regularly do business before the court — and astonishingly, there are no rules for reporting or disclosing donations to the public. That’s why it’s long past time for Congress to pass ethical standards for the highest court in the land. The Supreme Court has proven again and again it can’t police itself. Will you donate today to Demand Progress Action to help urge Congress to pass a code of ethics for the court, and push for other key reforms?

The Supreme Court has become the federal government’s most powerful body of policymakers and lawmakers, overturning Roe v. Wade, gutting local gun laws, unleashing unlimited corporate money in politics, and more.

The nine justices are appointed for life, and despite their virtually unchecked power, there are no rules regarding when they must recuse themselves or even reveal potential conflicts of interest.² Without ethical standards, we’ve seen the court breach its duty to be impartial and independent time and again.

Last month, Justice Brett Kavanaugh was spotted at a party hosted by Matt Schlapp, the right-wing leader of the Conservative Political Action Conference, along with a who’s who of Nazis and special interests with matters before the court.³

The leaked decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was well in line with activist groups’ long-standing protocols to exploit the lack of rules.⁴

The bottom line: The Supreme Court is supposed to be impartial and above influence from special interests. But today’s justices look increasingly poised to throw that tenet out the window.

That’s why we are urgently writing to you today to ask you to chip in $20 and help power our work, including urging Congress to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act.

Thanks for standing with us,

Tihi and the team at Demand Progress

DONATE

Sources:
1. The New York Times, "A Charity Tied to the Supreme Court Offers Donors Access to the Justices," January 1, 2023.
2. Brennan Center for Justice, "Brennan Center Urges Supreme Court Justices to Adopt a Code of Ethics," September 24, 2019.
3. Bloomberg Law, "Kavanaugh Holiday Party Appearance Raises Ethics Questions (1)," December 12, 2022.
4. The New York Times, "Former Anti-Abortion Leader Alleges Another Supreme Court Breach," November 19, 2022.

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