U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury signed a letter with 49 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives requesting hearings to discuss judicial ethics in the U.S. Supreme Court following “questionable actions” by Court justices.
“We call on House leadership to fulfill their obligation to the American public and conduct appropriate, good-faith Congressional oversight,” the letter states.
Stansbury is a Democrat from New Mexico, representing the state’s 1st Congressional District.
The letter was sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky.
“The recent uptick in egregious activities by several Justices has caused public confidence in the court to hit record lows,” the letter states. “It is more crucial than ever that Congress takes basic actions within its constitutional authority to address the unaccountable and unethical behavior seen on this Supreme Court.”
The “egregious activities” include alleged actions or participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack and accepting extravagant gifts from political activists including conservative billionaire Harlan Crow.
Currently, there is no way to file misconduct complaints against Supreme Court justices. The court approved a code of conduct in November 2023. This code of conduct includes a list of behaviors considered appropriate for Supreme Court justices but does not include directions on what happens should a justice break any part of the ethics code.
“While lawmakers view this as a long overdue first step, it is critical that Congress exercise its authority as a co-equal branch of government and conduct the necessary oversight to ensure compliance with these ethical standards,” a press release from Stansbury’s office states.