Senate Dems find many ethical lapses by Supreme Court justices
A senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee revealed that a review of Judge Kavanaugh’s activities during his time as a White House counsel to President George H.W. Bush has turned up many “concerning” ethical lapses by multiple Supreme Court justices.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a longtime critic of the court’s conservative bloc, said in a statement that the probe has uncovered a “pattern of irregularities and lapses in judgment” by several justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh.
The probe was launched in response to revelations of Kavanaugh’s alleged sexual misconduct and claims of a “girl’s neck” behavior. The Democrat on the Judiciary Committee has also found that the Justices’ financial disclosure reports have been incomplete or inaccurate, and that some of them have failed to fully divest from stocks and other investments in violation of the federal code.
Senator Whitehouse emphasized that the findings were not necessarily a “smoking gun” but rather a “pattern of abuse” that required further scrutiny. The probe, he said, is ongoing and will continue to uncover more information about the activities of the Justices.
Whitehouse’s comments came as the Supreme Court was preparing to hear a landmark case on gerrymandering, with the outcome potentially having significant implications for the political order. The case, McCutcheon v. FEC, is set to be heard later this month.
Congress has long been concerned with the increasing number of high-profile cases reaching the Supreme Court, including a wave of controversial decisions on issues like gerrymandering, gerrymandering, and partisan politics. Alarm over the Court’s role in these issues has grown louder, with some calling for reform or impeachment.
