Post by benson on Feb 15, 2022 9:47:21 GMT
Kenosha News editorial: The Supreme Court and conflicts of interest
The basis of government is public confidence, and that confidence is endangered when ethical standards falter or appear to falter.”
The late John F. Kennedy said that during his presidency nearly 60 years ago. But the idea Kennedy expressed remains the foundation of the concept of avoiding conflicts of interest, with the phrase “appear to falter” addressing the idea of avoiding even the appearance of conflicts of interest.
We’re finding the effort to avoid conflicts of interest in shorter supply then we’d like these days.
Ginni Thomas was among the signatories of a December letter from conservative leaders, which blasted the work of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as “overtly partisan political persecution.”
One month later, her husband, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, took part in a case crucial to the same committee’s work: former President Donald Trump’s request to block the committee from getting White House records that were ordered released by President Joe Biden and two lower courts.
Thomas was the only justice to say he would grant Trump’s request, the Washington Post reported.
Justice Thomas should recuse himself from cases involving his wife.
No one would reasonably expect Justice Thomas to be an unbiased jurist in a case involving his spouse, just as no one would reasonably expect Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to be an unbiased jurist in any case involving her ex-husband, Kevin Noonan.
www.kenoshanews.com/opinion/editorial/kenosha-news-editorial-the-supreme-court-and-conflicts-of-interest/article_ffa05d0f-ac1a-5a8e-8875-9ded5646cf78.html
The basis of government is public confidence, and that confidence is endangered when ethical standards falter or appear to falter.”
The late John F. Kennedy said that during his presidency nearly 60 years ago. But the idea Kennedy expressed remains the foundation of the concept of avoiding conflicts of interest, with the phrase “appear to falter” addressing the idea of avoiding even the appearance of conflicts of interest.
We’re finding the effort to avoid conflicts of interest in shorter supply then we’d like these days.
Ginni Thomas was among the signatories of a December letter from conservative leaders, which blasted the work of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as “overtly partisan political persecution.”
One month later, her husband, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, took part in a case crucial to the same committee’s work: former President Donald Trump’s request to block the committee from getting White House records that were ordered released by President Joe Biden and two lower courts.
Thomas was the only justice to say he would grant Trump’s request, the Washington Post reported.
Justice Thomas should recuse himself from cases involving his wife.
No one would reasonably expect Justice Thomas to be an unbiased jurist in a case involving his spouse, just as no one would reasonably expect Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to be an unbiased jurist in any case involving her ex-husband, Kevin Noonan.
www.kenoshanews.com/opinion/editorial/kenosha-news-editorial-the-supreme-court-and-conflicts-of-interest/article_ffa05d0f-ac1a-5a8e-8875-9ded5646cf78.html