Justice Alito’s response *clearly* demonstrates why the Supreme Court needs an enforceable code of conduct.
A THREAD.
The Committee has been conducting a thorough investigation into years of ethical lapses by some justices on the Supreme Court—and the Committee has been reviewing the latest reporting on Justice Alito as part of this ongoing investigation.
Flying the American flag upside down at his home is a signal of defiance, which raises reasonable questions about bias and fairness in cases pending before the Court.
Thus far, the Supreme Court has resisted efforts by the Senate Judiciary Committee to engage on ethics reform beginning with Chief Justice Roberts, who has rebuffed information requests and an invitation to discuss this important oversight matter.
Now, Justice Alito is providing speculative public commentary on a bill that is still going through the legislative process.
Let’s be clear: Justice Alito is not the 101st member of the United States Senate.
His intervention in Article I activity is unwise and unwelcome.
The ethical conduct of Supreme Court Justices is a serious matter within this Committee’s jurisdiction.
Ensuring ethical conduct by the justices is critical to the Court’s legitimacy.
I’m disappointed in the Supreme Court’s ruling effectively barring the use of race as a factor in college admissions.
A thread.
The Court’s conservative majority just upended nearly 50 years of established precedent in a move that undermines the progress our country has made advancing racial justice.
America’s ever-evolving commitment to the fundamental right to live free from discrimination requires us to acknowledge historical wrongs.
Tearing down support for historically marginalized populations makes our country less equal, not more.
What we heard today from Donald Trump’s lawyers is that he can no longer be held accountable for his actions to provoke a terrorist mob to violently overthrow a legitimate government process because he is no longer a sitting President. That’s wrong.
To my colleagues who believe the First Amendment was designed to protect the efforts of a lame duck President to overthrow our government, you might as well create a recipe for a democracy to die of its own accord.
No one, not even the President of the United States, has a First Amendment right to incite an insurrection against our government. That’s not a right—it’s a high crime.
Last night, I had the honor of speaking with 100 Black Men of Chicago, the Chicago chapter of 100 Black Men of America, a 25,000-member volunteer organization that works to enhance quality of life and educational and economic opportunities for African Americans.
I was originally asked to speak about gun violence and its impact on our youth, but the conversation naturally turned to Minneapolis and the death of Mr. George Floyd. His death was a reprehensible, heartbreaking moment.
The images of Mr. Floyd on the ground, with an officer with a knee on his neck, broke my heart and it enraged me at the same time. And we cannot forget that his death followed the recent brutal killings of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, & far too many...