Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined calls for establishing an “enforceable” code of ethics for Supreme Court justices following ethical controversies surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas.
Clinton said on Friday at a conference for the nonprofit she co-founded with fellow former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Vital Voices Global Partnership, that lower courts, circuit courts, members of Congress and candidates running for office all have enforceable ethics codes, but the highest court in the country does not.
“Why should they be the only institution in the United States without a code of ethics that is enforceable?” Clinton said.
The nonpartisan nongovernmental organization was founded to push for women to hold leadership positions in countries throughout the world.
Clinton joins others who have called for new ethical rules for Supreme Court justices following the reports about gifts that Thomas received and possible conflicts of interest he may have had that he did not disclose publicly.
ProPublica first reported early last month that Thomas and his wife had for years accepted luxury vacations from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow, a billionaire real estate developer, without disclosing them on his financial disclosure forms.
Federal law requires justices to disclose most gifts that they receive, with some exceptions. Thomas said in response to the report that he was advised that he did not need to disclose the trips because they were considered personal hospitality from a friend.
ProPublica also reported later that month that Crow bought a house from Thomas and his family for Crow to eventually turn the house into a museum commemorating Thomas’ life and career. The outlet’s most recent report Thursday said that Crow also covered some tuition payments for Thomas’ great-nephew to attend private boarding schools.
Thomas did not previously disclose these publicly.
Clinton referenced former Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas, who resigned from his position in 1969 following revelations that he had accepted and then returned money from a friend who was involved in a case before the court.
She said ethical standards should exist that “carry some weight.” She said the standards should be nonpartisan, affecting all who serve on the court.
“The daily revelations about what has gone on, particularly with Justice Thomas, but a few others as well — and it should be nonpartisan. Not just bipartisan. Nonpartisan. There should be a set of standards, and people should be held to them,” she said.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch have also faced some controversy over not recusing themselves from cases involving the publisher of books they each wrote.