Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made rare public remarks at the Conference of State Judges annual meeting in Chicago on Friday, suggesting that external ethics rules imposed on judges could compromise judicial independence.
"Judges must be free to decide cases according to law, without fear that their personal decisions might be second-guessed by ethics commissions or editorial boards," Thomas told the gathering of state court judges. "The moment we begin regulating judicial speech and conduct based on external standards, we invite political influence into the judiciary."
Thomas's remarks come amid ongoing scrutiny of the Supreme Court's ethics practices following revelations about luxury travel and real estate transactions that went unreported for years. A proposed binding ethics code for the Court has stalled in Congress amid partisan disagreements.
"Justice Thomas has benefited from a system that allows undisclosed gifts and travel for decades," said Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington Executive Director Walter Shaub. "His concern about external standards rings hollow when he has operated under no meaningful constraints."
The justice's remarks drew applause from the state judicial audience, many of whom operate under binding ethics codes in their home states. State judges generally face more stringent disclosure requirements than federal appellate judges.
The Supreme Court's ethics practices remain under scrutiny as Congress considers various proposals for imposing binding rules on the nation's highest court.