NEWS

Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Democrats’ push to impose a code of conduct on the U.S. Supreme Court is driven by their desire to exert power over a court that hasn’t been ruling their way on key issues, legal experts say.

(Illustration by The Epoch Times, Getty Images, Shutterstock)

Democrats and their left-wing activist allies have been incensed over the past two years as the court sent abortion matters back to the states, axed affirmative action in college admissions, bolstered gun rights and public prayer, backed a website designer’s right not to promote a same-sex wedding, and strengthened private property rights while weakening the government’s regulatory powers over the environment.

Several experts told The Epoch Times that the left cannot accept the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, so it will keep agitating against it and try to undermine its legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

So far, the activism has propelled the court to adopt its first-ever formal code of conduct, issued on Nov. 13, but Democrats say it’s a toothless gesture and won't fix what they say is a court that's overly sympathetic to business interests and conservative causes.

“The court’s new code of conduct falls far short of what we would expect from the highest court in the land,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said.

“While the code of conduct prohibits the appearance of impropriety, it allows the justice to individually determine whether their own conduct creates such an appearance in the minds of ‘reasonable members of the public.’ This is something that justices have repeatedly failed to do over the last few years.”

To remedy the supposed crisis at the court, Mr. Durbin backs the proposed Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act of 2023, which his committee approved on a party-line vote in July.

The proposal, which Republicans have denounced as unconstitutional, would create a system allowing members of the public to file complaints against justices for violating the proposed code of conduct or for engaging “in conduct that undermines the integrity of the Supreme Court of the United States.”

Among other things, it would also impose mandatory recusal standards and create a panel of lower court judges to investigate complaints against the Supreme Court.

Democrats are proposing their code of conduct “so they can control the Supreme Court," said Steven J. Allen, a distinguished senior fellow at Capital Research Center, a watchdog group.

"They’re doing this to get rid of one or more Republican appointees so they can be replaced,” Mr. Allen said.

“That’s almost the definition of ‘lawfare’—using the legal system to wage war on your opponents. You pack the court by knocking off a Republican or two.”

Mr. Durbin, a longtime antagonist of Justice Clarence Thomas, who's considered by many to be the court’s preeminent conservative jurist, has been particularly focused on the justice’s alleged transgressions.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas arrives for the ceremonial swearing in of Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the White House in Washington on Oct. 8, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Authored by Sam Dorman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A slew of lawsuits are seeking to disqualify President Donald Trump from running for office in 2024, creating an increasingly unstable presidential election season.

(Illustration by The Epoch Times, Freepik, Getty Images)

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Authored by Caden Pearson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) looks on during a news conference about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) transparency on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 30, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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