The Supreme Court announced Monday it is adopting a code of ethics, a move that followed waves of criticism over reports about undisclosed gifts and travel received by some members of the high court.
The 14-page code of conduct was written to "dispel" the "misunderstanding" that the court's nine justices "regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules," the court said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear whether the code would mollify Senate Democrats who had pushed the court for ethics reform and launched an investigation in the wake of the reporting.
Spokespeople for Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Senate Budget Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new code.
Republicans in Congress have vehemently objected to any effort to require the court to codify ethics standards for justices.
Persons:
Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, ProPublica, Harlan Crow, Crow, Thomas, Samuel Alito, Paul Singer, Leonard Leo, Spokespeople, Dick Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, pushback, GOP Sen, Marsha Blackburn
Organizations:
Supreme, Republican, Congress, GOP, Tennessee
Locations:
Washington , DC, Georgia