New Ethics Rule Requires Supreme Court Justices to Disclose Travel and Gifts

Supreme Court justices and other federal judges will be required to disclose more of their activities, including some free trips, air travel, and other types of gifts, according to new rules adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States. The move comes as members of Congress have called for the justices to be held to ethics standards similar to those for the executive and legislative branches. However, some advocates pushing for greater transparency on the court cautioned that the rules would be hard to enforce and that it would be nearly impossible to know whether a justice had failed to disclose a trip, flight, or other perk.