Justice Amy Coney Barrett Supports Adoption of Code of Conduct for Supreme Court

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has recently voiced her support for the adoption of a code of conduct for the Supreme Court. In an interview, Barrett said that she believes it would be a “good idea” for the court to adopt such a code in order to communicate more clearly with the public.

Barrett noted that the justices already follow statutes that cover all judges, including the Supreme Court, such as filing financial disclosure forms. This comes in response to calls for more oversight for the justices following a series of ethics controversies.

The Supreme Court has not adopted a code of conduct since the 1970s, when the court adopted the Code of Conduct for United States Judges. The code was amended in 1998 to include a section on recusal, which requires judges to step aside from cases in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned.

The American Bar Association has called on the Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct that would apply to the justices. The ABA has also proposed that the court should create a special committee to review complaints against the justices.

The Supreme Court has not yet taken any action on the issue, but Justice Barrett’s comments suggest that the court may be open to the idea of adopting a code of conduct. If the court does decide to move forward with the proposal, it would be a major step forward in ensuring the justices are held to the highest ethical standards.