Supreme Court Needs New Ethics Rules Before October: Gabe Roth

The Supreme Court may be beginning its summer recess, but the furor over the justices’ ethical lapses is still gathering steam. We now know that both Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have gone on lavish vacations with court litigants without disclosing the trips or recusing themselves from their benefactors’ cases. Thomas has also accepted extravagant gifts. Congress should pass new ethics rules for the justices before they reconvene on the first Monday of October.

Though the developing reform effort appears fairly modest — Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin said last week he’s focused on “a code of ethics, increased ...