Nation’s Top Judge Announces Review of Judicial Ethics
Jun 1st, 2004 • Posted in: NewsWASHINGTON
The nation’s top judge last week ordered a study of federal judicial ethics following a period of intense criticism over alleged conflicts of interest by members of the Supreme Court and federal benches.
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist appointed a six-member committee, which is scheduled to start meeting next month. The panel will be chaired by Justice Stephen Breyer.
As the committee gets to work, the Supreme Court is expected to rule in the case that thrust this issue into the spotlight, noted the Associated Press.
That suit, filed by a conservative watchdog group and the Sierra Club, seeks to require Vice President Dick Cheney to release details about who helped him draft the nation’s industry-friendly energy policy.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who went on a duck-hunting trip with Cheney three weeks after agreeing to hear the case, has refused to recuse himself, sparking a public outcry over possible bias.
While Scalia has raised the ire of watchdog groups, other justices including Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Rehnquist himself — have engaged in less flamboyant acts that also have raised questions, according to press reports.
House Judiciary Committee head Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) earlier this year added to the chorus of discontent, castigating judges for failing to adequately police themselves and punish wrongdoing by colleagues, according to the AP.
“I decided that the best way to see if there are any real problems is to have a committee look into it,” Rehnquist said last week via a court spokesman.
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