US Supreme Court Adopts Code of Ethics for the First Time Amid Clarence Thomas Corruption Scandal

As scandals continue to hound controversial conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, the US Supreme Court finally adopted its own Code of Ethics for the first time. This comes amid increasing pressure from the public and Congress.

The US Supreme Court has lacked any form of enforcement mechanisms since its inception. This was acknowledged by the nine Supreme Court justices in an unsigned statement where they stated that while "there has been no formal code, they have long abided by certain standards."

"The absence of a Code, however, has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules," the justices wrote in their joint statement. "To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this Code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct."

As an answer to the Clarence Thomas scandals, the code is specific regarding financial transactions, according to NPR.

"Justices can make a real estate transaction, as long as it's not before the court," it stated.

However, this code also "reaffirms the commitment to the disclosure provisions" that are in the existing code for all federal judges.

The code also tackles specific provisions about justices recusing themselves if family members, including spouses, children, or grandchildren, were to argue a case before the Supreme Court. However, it does have several exceptions for justices that may not apply to lower court judges, such as stating that a justice does not have to recuse himself or herself if "his or her relative files a friend of the court brief because the court receives so many of these briefs."

There Is Still No Mechanism That Binds US Supreme Court Justices From Breaking the Code of Ethics

Public pressure and the US Congress have been pressuring the Supreme Court to implement this Code of Ethics, and one of the loudest voices for this is Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

Sen. Whitehouse had a mixed reaction to the Code of Ethics being passed, saying, "This is a long-overdue step by the justices, but a code of ethics is not binding unless there is a mechanism to investigate possible violations and enforce the rules. The honor system has not worked for members of the Roberts Court,"

The senator has proposed a court ethics code that was passed by the Senate without any Republican support. It would allow for complaints and investigation by lower-court judges and was supported by three justices, namely Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, and Elena Kagan.

US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' Many Ethics Scandals That Led To the Code of Ethics

The passing of the US Supreme Court Code of Ethics was done after Justice Clarence Thomas, a George W. Bush appointee, had several corruption scandals regarding his ties to wealthy friends who have had cases before the Supreme Court. Thomas did not recuse himself from cases involving them despite receiving loans or personal vacations from these wealthy backers.

According to Forbes, Thomas never repaid a "substantial portion" of a $267,230 loan from wealthy friend Anthony Welters. In fact, that debt had been forgiven, but the Justice never listed this on any of his financial disclosures. There is also the fact that he received several lavish gifts from notable Republican donors, such as Harlan Crow.

There is also the fact that his wife, Ginni Thomas, remains a leading conservative activist who has been implicated in the January 6 Capitol insurrection. She reportedly received money from a conservative activist.

READ MORE: January 6 Hearing: Donald Trump Pressured Justice Department to Call 2020 Election 'Corrupt'

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: The Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time - WPRI