# Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2022

This bill would require Supreme Court justices to follow the same ethics rules that apply to all other federal judges. Right now, the Supreme Court has its own ethics code that's less strict than what lower court judges must follow, and there's no real enforcement mechanism if justices break the rules. This bill would change that by making the nine justices subject to the federal judicial ethics code that's been in place for decades.

The bill also requires justices to publicly explain their decisions when they recuse themselves from a case—meaning when they step aside because they have a conflict of interest. Currently, justices don't have to give any reason for recusing themselves, and they don't have to explain why they choose not to recuse themselves even when they might have a personal stake in a case's outcome. Under this bill, justices would need to write a statement explaining their reasoning, which would be made public. This is meant to increase transparency so Americans can understand whether a justice is sitting out a case because of a financial interest, a personal relationship, or some other conflict.

The bill also establishes a process for investigating ethics complaints against justices and creates consequences for violations. Currently, there's essentially no way to formally hold a Supreme Court justice accountable for ethics violations. This bill would set up a system similar to what exists for other federal judges, where complaints can be filed and investigated. The goal is to ensure that the highest court in the land operates with the same ethical standards and transparency that the public expects from the rest of the judicial system.

Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2022

Johnson, Henry C. "Hank"

Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2022 This bill provides for the establishment of a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, judges of the courts of appeals, judges of the district courts, and judges of the Court of International Trade.