U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Elizabeth Warren with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal Introduce Bill to Reform Broken Judicial Ethics System – Includes Banning Federal Judges from Owning Individual Stock

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and several of their Alex Padilla senator official portraitcolleagues, introduced the bicameral Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act to overhaul our nation's judicial ethics laws and restore public faith in our court system.

"The legitimacy of our federal judiciary depends on the faith and trust that Americans place in our judges," said Senator Padilla. "But that trust is eroded if judges, including the Justices of the Supreme Court, are not subject to and abiding by ethical standards that ensure transparency and accountability. It's time for Congress to act and ensure that such standards are in place and followed."

"I've been fighting to reform our judicial ethics system for years. At a time when public trust in the Supreme Court has collapsed to historic lows, it's critical that we enact legislation to reform this broken system. From banning federal judges from owning individual stocks to overhauling the broken judicial recusal process, my bill would help root out corruption and restore public trust in the federal judiciary – something that Chief Justice Roberts has simply failed to do," said Senator Warren.

Senator Padilla also joined Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal in a recent bicameral letter to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts demanding answers regarding Justice Thomas's potential violation of federal ethics laws after reporting on the efforts of his wife, Ms. Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

In the U.S. Senate, the legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.). In the U.S. House of Representatives, the legislation is also cosponsored by Representatives Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, André Carson (D-Ind.), Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Jesús "Chuy" García (D-Ill.), Andy Levin (D-Mich.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas.).