Top Judicial Ethics and Oversight Moments in Congress in 2023

Bombshell reporting about US Supreme Court justices accepting lavish gifts made judicial ethics a focus for congressional Democrats in 2023.

Democratic efforts to force a code of ethics—and increase transparency across the judiciary—had largely languished even before the justices adopted their own conduct standard in November following mounting pressure.

Still, 2023 has been “one of the most significant years ever” for judicial ethics, said Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, an accountability nonprofit.

“We still don’t know how it’s going to play out. The conflicts of interest that have been identified are unprecedented,” ...