WATCH: Padilla delivers remarks after voting to advance SCERT Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, voted to move the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act out of committee and on to the full Senate for consideration. The committee action follows recent public reports detailing potentially unethical behavior by members of the Supreme Court, highlighting the lack of transparency and enforceable ethics standards for the Court. Following the vote, Padilla delivered remarks discussing why this legislation is urgently needed.

“It is long past time we restore public faith in the Supreme Court by implementing an enforceable standard of ethics— because it’s clear that they’re not willing to police themselves,” Senator Padilla said. “As we know, and the Court itself has said, even the appearance of impropriety threatens our democracy. Regaining the trust of the American people begins with peeling back the curtain and increasing ethical standards and transparency at the Court. And the legislation that we voted out of committee today is a major step forward in that effort.”

Senator Padilla is a cosponsor of the SCERT Act, which would create a process for investigating misconduct at the Supreme Court, strengthen recusal standards for judges and disclosure rules for special interests trying to influence the courts, improve disclosure of travel and hospitality for judges, and mandate the creation of a binding code of ethics. Padilla has repeatedly called on Chief Justice John Roberts to investigate Justice Clarence Thomas’s failure to disclose receipt of 20 years’ worth of lavish gifts and luxury travel as well as conflicts of interest related to Ginni Thomas’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

A copy of the recording can be downloaded HERE.

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