Republican Senators Blast Push for Supreme Court Ethics Code

Republican senators blasted a drive for a formal Supreme Court code of conduct following recent ethics controversies, accusing Democrats of seeking to weaken the conservative-leaning court.

Republicans including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also defended Justice Clarence Thomas during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing against criticism of the justice’s failure to disclose luxurious trips funded by a wealthy GOP donor.

“This assault on Justice Thomas is well beyond ethics,” Graham said. “It is about trying to delegitimize a conservative court that was appointed through the traditional process.”

No Republican on the panel expressed any interest in legislation that could impose ...