Statement from Congressman Dan Goldman on President Joe Biden's Plan to Restore Court Accountability

New York, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today issued the following statement on President Joe Biden’s announcement of plans to restore accountability and integrity to the Supreme Court. Included in President Biden’s plan is a constitutional amendment to reverse the Court’s decision granting the Presidency immunity, term limits for Supreme Court Justices, and a binding Code of Conduct for the Supreme Court.

Congressman Dan Goldman has repeatedly called on Chief Justice John Roberts to establish an enforceable ethics code with an ethics counsel for the Supreme Court, and he has also called for Justice Alito and Justice Thomas’ recusal from cases where there is a clear conflict of interest, including cases related to the January 6 insurrection. In June, Goldman introduced the ‘Supreme Court Ethics and Investigations Act’ to establish a dedicated investigative body and ethics counsel within the Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court has been mired in ethics scandals, disclosure violations, and conflicts of interest, which has caused its legitimacy and credibility to plummet to historic lows.

“Chief Justice Roberts’ creation of a Code of Conduct for SCOTUS Justices is an admission that these ethical improprieties are having an impact on the integrity of the court. Unfortunately, Chief Justice Roberts failed to make his Code of Conduct binding or enforceable, leaving it to the individual justices to voluntarily comply. Justices Alito and Thomas’ recent refusal to recuse from the January 6 cases despite clear conflicts of interest proved that it isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.

“The Court has shown it cannot police itself. Therefore, it falls on Congress to do so consistent with the fundamental notions of separation of powers among the co-equal branches of government. I wholeheartedly endorse President Biden’s legislative proposals for term limits and a binding code of conduct, which, together with an independent enforcement body, can restore public faith in the Court.

“I look forward to working alongside President Biden and my Court Reform Now Task Force colleagues to finally ensure that our nation’s highest court adheres to the highest ethical standards.”

Congressman Dan Goldman is a founding member of the Court Reform Now Task Force.

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