Pro publica is a great organization. Doing very important work. Had the privilege of working with some of the founders when they were at the WSJ/Dow Jones. Top notch professionals.
It would be wonderful if ProPublica continued to pursue these issues around the Supreme Court. Obviously there has been no consequences so far for the corruption of the court and without that, nothing will change. I’m all for shining the light, please don’t turn it off now that a partial code of conduct has been written. The corrupt will just find a way around something they hope will shut people up for a while and distract. Damage has been done Thomas, his wife, Alito and some others.
Supreme Court is an important concern. ProPublica.org did the country a service in delving into the issue. I think presenting the concerns raised by the behavior of the other justices such as Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ginsburg would have helped in deflecting the complaints that the investigation was politically motivated. There have been serious ethical issues raised by the actions of almost all the sitting justices and the implication that it was only the actions of conservative justices that forced the court to examine the problem misleading. Justices must be above reproach so that as a nation we can be confident that Lady Justice does not have her finger on the scale or her blindfold has slipped.
I think Justice Thomas’ ethics problems were significantly higher than the other. It would be nice to balance the abuses politically, but journalists cannot control what they find.
In general i do not disagree, but it is a very slippery slope when we begin trying to determine on our own whose ethical problems are worse. None should be tolerated, and all justices, no matter whether they be "conservative" or "liberal," should be investigated and reports filed. It is always a "red flag" for me, when I read reports that only focus on one party or side.
"From understanding political ads to seeing what your representatives are actually doing (or not doing), these short guides will help you become a more informed, more engaged, more confident voter."
Following the SC announcement of their ethics rules, it hopes the Thomas/Alito enrichment project will fade in the rear view mirror. Thankfully we have Sheldon Whitehouse, and it won't.
thank you, again, Ken. I donate to Pro publica and am very very thankful for their investigative reporting--and just gave yet again spurred by your article. I also always check on Heather Cox Richardson's "Letters" everyday because she is a very knowledgeable historian who gathers material from many sources like pro publica, always widening my understanding of issues.( and you can subscribe for free). Bunch, in the Philadelphia Inquirer, always informs; Public Citizen investigates the power of big money to influence our politics after the Supreme Court's "Citizens United" decision granting corporations "Dark money" unlimited access to influence our legislatures; Corporate Accountability exposes corruption and the the courageous whistle blowers who expose what is hidden. The power of money and the power of greed are corrosive.. I am thankful for all who investigate and work to expose corruption and abusive power,, and all who work for justice and democracy and for our earth.
Pro publica is a great organization. Doing very important work. Had the privilege of working with some of the founders when they were at the WSJ/Dow Jones. Top notch professionals.
ProPublica.org is the URL. There's some significance when a ProPublica story is picked up by the main stream media and goes national a few days later.
It would be wonderful if ProPublica continued to pursue these issues around the Supreme Court. Obviously there has been no consequences so far for the corruption of the court and without that, nothing will change. I’m all for shining the light, please don’t turn it off now that a partial code of conduct has been written. The corrupt will just find a way around something they hope will shut people up for a while and distract. Damage has been done Thomas, his wife, Alito and some others.
I suspect that ProPublica reporters will continue to follow this story, especially now that written rules are in place.
That would be great!
Ethical concerns of justices on the
Supreme Court is an important concern. ProPublica.org did the country a service in delving into the issue. I think presenting the concerns raised by the behavior of the other justices such as Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ginsburg would have helped in deflecting the complaints that the investigation was politically motivated. There have been serious ethical issues raised by the actions of almost all the sitting justices and the implication that it was only the actions of conservative justices that forced the court to examine the problem misleading. Justices must be above reproach so that as a nation we can be confident that Lady Justice does not have her finger on the scale or her blindfold has slipped.
"There have been serious ethical issues raised by the actions of almost all the sitting justices..."
Let us know how you know this. Give some specifics.
Sources that present the ethical issues of justices of the supreme court:
NYTimes: The Ethics of Nine of the Most Powerful People in America
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/14/opinion/editorials/clarence-thomas-trips-supreme-court.html
Forbes:
Forbes:https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/11/14/here-are-all-the-supreme-court-controversies-that-led-to-adopting-an-ethics-code/?sh=1f395f2164ca
MSNBC:
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/sonia-sotomayor-ethics-book-supreme-court-rcna93864
The Hill:
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/4162555-all-supreme-court-ethics-lapses-deserve-scrutiny-including-sotomayors/
Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/11/07/justice-ginsburg-fails-an-important-test-of-judicial-ethics/
Fix the Court:
https://fixthecourt.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Recent-Ethical-Lapses-by-the-Justices-FTC-Dec.-2022.pdf
I think Justice Thomas’ ethics problems were significantly higher than the other. It would be nice to balance the abuses politically, but journalists cannot control what they find.
In general i do not disagree, but it is a very slippery slope when we begin trying to determine on our own whose ethical problems are worse. None should be tolerated, and all justices, no matter whether they be "conservative" or "liberal," should be investigated and reports filed. It is always a "red flag" for me, when I read reports that only focus on one party or side.
Done!
Bravo, Mr. Tingley. Thanks for your tireless advocacy for good journalism.
I completely agree. I just looked at their home page and each leading story is an eye-opener.
I could immerse myself in their web site for ... hours.
I just found "A User's Guide to Democracy" at https://www.propublica.org/series/a-users-guide-to-democracy
"From understanding political ads to seeing what your representatives are actually doing (or not doing), these short guides will help you become a more informed, more engaged, more confident voter."
Love it!
It is absolutely worth all our time to protect democdracy.
Thank you for keeping us informed. I admire your truth and honesty.
I agree. It’s a good cause.
Following the SC announcement of their ethics rules, it hopes the Thomas/Alito enrichment project will fade in the rear view mirror. Thankfully we have Sheldon Whitehouse, and it won't.
Well, certainly no one can truthfully accuse them of being mainstream media, can they?
thank you, again, Ken. I donate to Pro publica and am very very thankful for their investigative reporting--and just gave yet again spurred by your article. I also always check on Heather Cox Richardson's "Letters" everyday because she is a very knowledgeable historian who gathers material from many sources like pro publica, always widening my understanding of issues.( and you can subscribe for free). Bunch, in the Philadelphia Inquirer, always informs; Public Citizen investigates the power of big money to influence our politics after the Supreme Court's "Citizens United" decision granting corporations "Dark money" unlimited access to influence our legislatures; Corporate Accountability exposes corruption and the the courageous whistle blowers who expose what is hidden. The power of money and the power of greed are corrosive.. I am thankful for all who investigate and work to expose corruption and abusive power,, and all who work for justice and democracy and for our earth.
Richardson is a daily read for me as well.