Calls for Higher Ethics Standards in Supreme Court Amid Controversy

Senate Democrats have called for tighter rules on the US Supreme Court's nine justices, citing recent media reports on entanglements between two of the court's conservative justices and parties with interests in its cases. Republicans accused Democrats of being bitter over recent conservative rulings and trying to undermine the court's conservative majority. The Democrats' push won an endorsement from a former appeals court judge and noted conservative legal thinker, who said Congress has the authority to establish such standards. However, neither of the two pieces of legislation introduced by Democrats appears to have much of a chance in this Congress, where Republicans control the House of Representatives.