Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, today released episode nine of his podcast, Making the Case. In this latest episode, Whitehouse and Lisa Graves of True North Research discuss the Supreme Court’s new code of conduct, the latest in the Judiciary Committee’s Court ethics investigation, and the amicus flotilla swarming around the Court. Graves is perhaps the most persistent and effective researcher into the billionaire apparatus that has worked to capture the Court.
“After months of bombshell reporting in the press and serious investigative work by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the American public is a lot closer to learning the truth about the Supreme Court’s ethics crisis,” said Whitehouse. “In the latest episode of Making the Case, I’m joined by perhaps the most determined factfinder around the Court’s scandals, Lisa Graves. Tune in as we talk about the problems with the Court’s new ethics code, subpoenas for its billionaire benefactors, and other avenues for special interest influence at the Court.”
The ninth episode of Making the Case is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms.
Whitehouse has long been the Senate’s leading voice for improving transparency and accountability at the Supreme Court, delivering a series of speeches on the Senate floor about the special interest scheme to remake the judicial branch.
Whitehouse is working to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act, which was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in July. The bill would require Supreme Court justices to adopt a code of conduct, create a mechanism to investigate and address alleged violations of the code of conduct and other laws, improve disclosure and transparency when a justice has a connection to a party or amicus before the Court, and require justices to explain their recusal decisions to the public. The Senator has also led legislation to create term limits at the Court.
Whitehouse has also led investigative efforts to get to the bottom of an endeavor by right-wing billionaires to influence the Court by providing secret, lavish gifts to justices. Last month, the Judiciary Committee authorized Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) to issue subpoenas to billionaire Harlan Crow and Court fixer Leonard Leo to advance the investigation over outlandish objections from Committee Republicans.
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Meaghan McCabe, (202) 224-2921
