The Supreme Court's Ethics: United or Divided?

Despite calls for a specific ethics code for the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. rejected an invitation to testify before a Senate committee and instead issued a statement of ethical guidelines from all nine justices. While government watchdog groups and many Democratic members of Congress condemned the statement, the Senate’s top Republicans staunchly defended the court, and neither the White House nor some key Democrats in Congress seem eager to push past against the court’s self-oversight. The legislative branch lacks the votes to force change, and the court is unwilling to embrace reforms that might reduce the attacks on its credibility and legitimacy.