Supreme Court Digs in on Recusal Practices Criticized as Opaque

The US Supreme Court‘s inaugural code of conduct does little to satisfy transparency advocates seeking a more open and uniform approach to recusals, a practice they view as opaque and long overdue for change.

The code, issued on Monday amid liberal pressure over alleged ethical lapses involving largesse and favorable treatment from billionaires, mainly codifies rules that all federal judges follow while adding what advocates say is a potential loophole for the justices.

While lower court judges can be replaced if they recuse, the Supreme Court code says the “loss of even one justice may undermine” its work and the ...