Amy Klobuchar: “I rise because now is the time to pass Senator Whitehouse's legislation to require the Supreme Court of the United…”

“I rise because now is the time to pass Senator Whitehouse's legislation to require the Supreme Court of the United States to adopt a binding and enforceable code of ethics, create a process for investigating misconduct, and improve the disclosure and transparency requirements for the Justices on our Nation's highest Court. I thank my colleagues Senators Whitehouse and Durbin for their leadership on this issue. I have long believed that rule of law is central to our democracy and that preserving public trust in our institutions is vital to the health of our Republic. It is important that the American people have confidence that the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are making decisions based on the facts and the law, not private interests. The Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States know this, too. In fact, the very first canon that the Supreme Court set out in its code of conduct last November states that ``a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States should maintain and observe high standards of conduct in order to preserve the integrity and independence of the federal judiciary.'' This isn't the first time that Congress has had to address the need for transparency and ethical requirements for government officials.…”