In a sensational move , a code of conduct governing the Justices of Supreme Court has been released by the Supreme Court , in the wake of alleged incidents and evidenced discrepancies in the conduct of Justices needing for an authentic written set of ethics guiding them all along as a preservative measure of the highest sanctity accorded to the Institution of Justice in the apex Supreme court so as to set the pathways for a guileless administration of Justice across the society at large..
The US Supreme Court on Monday released its first ever set of ethics rules governing its nine justices.
The nine-page “code of conduct” comes as the most powerful legal body in America is under increasing scrutiny following recent news reports of gifts and holiday arrangements lavished on several of its jurists.
While federal judges on lower courts have been governed by an ethical code since 1973, this marks the first time the country’s highest court has set out its own rules.
The court had released a “statement on ethics principles and practices” earlier this year, but Monday’s release provides significantly more detail.
In a paragraph introducing the guidance, the justices said that they had long abided by unwritten ethical rules derived from a variety of sources, including the lower-court code.
They said the absence of explicit rules, however, led to the “misunderstanding” that justices viewed themselves as unrestricted by any ethical guidelines.
The code contains no enforcement mechanism. Justices will have to choose to abide by its “rules and principles”.
The rules are divided into four main sections outlining how justices should behave, perform their duties, and conduct themselves in non-judicial and financial activities
Justices are advised to consider whether speaking at an outside event “would create an appearance of impropriety in the minds of reasonable members of the public”.
The guidance goes on to note that most academic, legal, religious or cultural associations would not present such a problem, while events affiliated with political parties or campaigns would.
The court also set out circumstances under which justices should disqualify themselves from participation in a case. Those include when a justice has a bias or prejudices concerning a party to the case or has a financial or other interest that could be “affected substantially” by the outcome of the proceedings.
n commentary accompanying its code, the court said that it would consider seeking further guidance on whether to expand or amend the rules on financial disclosure and recusal from cases.
Recent opinion surveys have found that public trust in the Supreme Court – which last year issued a controversial decision that the right to abortion is not protected by the US Constitution – is near an all-time low.
As a matter of highest public concern , ethical code currently imposed means to set the direction of willful righteous conduct amongst the Justices Supreme Court as a critical situational necessity trying to resurrect the glorious image of the Justices who of late have been hypnotized into a wishful thinking that they were beyond the responsibility of any rules and showed the conduct in ways deviating from the prescribed methodology are being assiduously been advised to get hooked to the highest levels of conduct for the progression of Justice and for the wellbeing of the contemporary society which needs right ways of adhering to the norms.
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