CNN
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Chief Justice John Roberts urged continued vigilance for the safety of judges and judges in an annual report issued Saturday after a tumultuous year on the U.S. Supreme Court.
“The justice system cannot and should not live in fear,” Roberts wrote.
But while turning his attention to judicial safety, the chief justice of the Supreme Court has made calls for new ethics rules directed at judges and the unprecedented leak of last spring’s abortion opinion draft, which began eight months ago. bypassed other controversies, such as the latest in an investigation into nationwide protest.
Avoiding direct mention of specific controversies, Roberts praised judges for facing controversial issues “quietly, diligently, and faithfully” and urged Congress to continue funding dedicated to security. urged.
Roberts said that “our free country has no obligation” to agree with the decision, but that judges must always be protected.
“The law requires all judges to swear to perform their duties without fear or favor, but we must support them by ensuring their safety. must be,” he wrote.
In addition to his duties on the High Court, Roberts presides over the Judiciary Council, the body responsible for determining policy regarding the operation of the courts, and publishes a report on the state of the judiciary each New Year’s Eve.
Some critics of the court wanted Roberts to use his annual report to specifically address other concerns that have arisen over the past few months.
The report comes at a time when public opinion against the court has reached an all-time low. Judges on winter break handled a blockbuster case on voting rights and affirmative action issues this fall. Later in the semester, we discuss issues such as immigration and President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program.
For example, regarding the leak of the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade last May, Roberts did not directly address the status of the ongoing investigation.
The disclosure, and the final opinion released the following month, sparked protests across the country, including one staged outside the judge’s home. He was arrested and later charged with attempted murder of a Supreme Court judge. According to court documents, a man named Nicholas Roske told investigators he was angry that the draft opinion overturning Law had been leaked.
Additionally, the court building was surrounded by an eight-foot security fence that had just been removed at the end of August ahead of the new term.
In May, Roberts launched an investigation into the leak, but has not provided a public update.
Roberts did not bring up ethics reform in his year-end report, but hoped he would use it to address ongoing calls for a more formal code of ethics directed at judges.
“There is no doubt that judicial safety is paramount,” said Gabe Roth, executive director of a group called Fix the Court that works to improve transparency in federal courts. Roth said Roberts should have done more this year to increase public confidence in the court’s ethics.
“As it stands, there is no formal code of conduct for the Supreme Court, and judges themselves can decide how to behave in and out of court without formal guiding principles,” Ross said. said.
In 2011, Roberts addressed such criticisms in a year-end report devoted to ethical issues.
“Practically all members of the court refer to the Code of Conduct when assessing their ethical obligations,” Roberts said at the time. It said it could consult “a wide variety” of other authorities to resolve ethical issues.
Federal law also requires that judges be disqualified if their “impartiality could reasonably be questioned.”
Roth said the court’s integrity is being tested this year in ways rarely seen in the past.
In March, the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol found more than two dozen text messages between Ginny Thomas and former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. was in possession of
Text messages seen by CNN show Thomas begging Meadows to continue his fight to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Ross and others argue that Judge Thomas should have resigned. That includes a January lawsuit in which the High Court granted the release of presidential records from the Trump administration’s White House to the commission. Thomas was the only opponent.
“Federal law states that a challenge is required where a judge’s impartiality can reasonably be questioned, and that was clearly the case here,” Ross said.
Ginny Thomas eventually volunteered to testify before the commission, but was not mentioned in the panel’s final report released last week.
According to eyewitness transcripts released by the commission on Friday, Thomas told the commission that he regretted the “tone and content” of the message she sent to Meadows, and that her husband did not learn about the message. He said it was March 2022.
According to the transcript, Thomas said she could “guarantee” that her husband never told her about the lawsuit pending in court. Additionally, she said Judge Thomas was “political agnostic.”
Ginny Thomas’ attorney, Mark Paoletta, released a statement last week saying he was “happy to meet” with the commission to “clear any misunderstandings”, but said the commission had “no good reason to interview her.” There was no,’ he said.
He called her post-election activities “minimal” after Trump’s 2020 defeat.
“Mrs. Thomas has serious concerns about possible fraud and misconduct in the 2020 election, and her minimal efforts will focus on ensuring that reports of fraud and misconduct are investigated. I was doing it,” Paoletta said.