Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said in a new interview that she would consider upholding an “enforceable” mechanism for the Supreme Court's ethics code.
CBS' Norah O'Donnell asked Jackson in an interview that aired on TV. “CBS News Sunday Morning” On whether she thinks President Biden has a problem with supporting binding rules for judges that would force them to disclose and reject gifts, at a time when other judges are under investigation for failing to disclose lavish gifts and travel.
“You know, binding ethics codes are pretty standard for judges. So I guess the question is, 'Is the Supreme Court any different from other courts?' I haven't seen a compelling reason why the Supreme Court should be any different,” Jackson replied.
When O'Donnell further pressed Jackson on whether he would support an “enforcement mechanism” for judges, Jackson indicated he would.
“I would consider supporting it as a general matter. I'm not going to comment on specific policy proposals. But from my perspective, I don't have a problem with an enforceable code,” Jackson said.
Her comments come after Justice Elena Kagan called last month for creating a way to enforce the Supreme Court's ethics rules. Speaking at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' annual judicial conference last month, she said it would make sense to create a system for enforcing the ethics rules, according to the Associated Press.
“I think that kind of system makes sense both in terms of enforcing the rules against people who break the rules and in terms of protecting people who don't break the rules,” Kagan said, according to the Associated Press.
The Supreme Court adopted a code of ethics last year after some justices faced intense scrutiny over their private gifts and travel practices, but the code of conduct contains no enforcement mechanism.
Biden unveiled a three-pronged proposal for the Supreme Court in July that includes implementing term limits for the court, a binding ethics code and a constitutional amendment to counter the justices' recent decision to grant presidential immunity. Biden's approach echoes the arguments of other Democrats who have called for reform of the court, but faces an uphill battle.
The Associated Press contributed.
