Demand Ethics from Congress, Too, Not Only the Supreme Court
The judiciary isn’t without its lapses, but the other branches of government could also use some cleaning up.
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Photographer: BloombergI’m not sure there’s much fire beneath the smoky ethical allegations swirling around the US Supreme Court. Justice Clarence Thomas stands accused of accepting lavish gifts from a wealthy friend. Critics say Justice Neil Gorsuch shouldn’t have done a real estate deal with the head of a law firm that does business before the court.
None of this seems to violate any rules; at worst, the disclosures could have been clearer. Moreover, the recently floated notion that a big book contract creates a conflict of interest is farcical. But even if I’m wrong and there’s flame aplenty, the news media’s focus on ethics at the high court is far too narrow. If we’re experiencing a crisis of financial ethics in government, it’s not obvious that the justices are the principal culprits.