Ketanji Brown Jackson Is 'Considering Supporting' An Enforceable Supreme Court Code Of Ethics

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recently said she is leaning in favor of a binding code of ethics for the Supreme Court.

“A binding code of ethics is pretty standard for judges, and so I guess the question is, ‘Is the Supreme Court any different?’” Jackson said in a “CBS News Sunday Morning” interview with “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell.

“I guess I have not seen a persuasive reason as to why the [Supreme] Court is different than the other courts,” she added.

Though it is nonbinding, the Supreme Court adopted its first formal code of ethics in November 2023, following public controversies with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. ProPublica reported that Thomas had accepted gifts and luxury vacations from conservative megadonor Harlan Crow without disclosing them. Similarly, Alito reportedly did not disclose a 2008 fishing trip with billionaire Paul Singer, who later had cases before the court.

In July, President Joe Biden called for an enforceable code for the high court, along with term limits. Vice President Kamala Harris has endorsed the prospective changes.

During her interview, Jackson said she is “considering supporting” an enforcement mechanism “as a general matter,” adding, “I’m not going to get into commenting on particular policy proposals, but from my perspective, I don’t have any problem with an enforceable code.”

Jackson’s CBS appearance, her first broadcast interview since she joined the Supreme Court in June 2022, will air in full on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. The interview was done ahead of the release of Jackson’s memoir, “Lovely One,” which will be released Tuesday.