[20180820]LSB10189_召唤球和打击：道德与最高法院法官.pdf

CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i Calling Balls and Strikes: Ethics and Supreme Court Justices August 20, 2018 At his confirmation hearing in 2005, Chief Justice Roberts famously described his view of judges as umpires, pledging that, if confirmed, he would “call balls and strikes” when applying the law. Chief Justice Roberts emphasized the constitutional structure that underpins the Supreme Court and the rest of the federal judiciary, which is based on independence from political influence. The Courts independence and its insulation from political influence is a perennial issue, which has received heightened attention with Judge Brett Kavanaughs pending nomination. What mechanisms ensure the integrity of Justices as federal officials? Are Justices subject to any rules of ethical conduct? How might such ethics rules be enforced? This Sidebar examines these questions and Congresss potential role in regulating the ethics of the Supreme Court Justices. Ethics Rules that Govern Judicial Conduct Generally State codes of conduct and the Judicial Conference of the United States (Judicial Conference) federal Code of Conduct for