Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse speaking in St. Petersburg on Sept. 14, 2024. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)
Large majorities of Americans favor term limits, a mandatory retirement age, and a formal ethics code for the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a public opinion survey released last week.
That doesn’t surprise Rhode Island Democratic U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who has filed two bills to attempt to reform the high court.
“People support it intensely,” Whitehouse told the Florida Phoenix on Saturday in St. Petersburg about legislation he has introduced in the Senate.
One of those measures would require the Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct for justices, establish procedures to receive and investigate complaints of judicial misconduct, and adopt rules governing disclosure of gifts, travel, and income received by the justices.
Whitehouse introduced the measure following published reports of justices such as Clarence Thomas being provided undisclosed gifts such as private jet trips and luxury vacations.