S. 1290 — Introduced in Senate

II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1290 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 26, 2023Mr. King (for himself and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To require the Supreme Court of the United States to issue a code of conduct for the justices of the Supreme Court, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Supreme Court Code of Conduct Act. 2. Code of conduct for justices of the Supreme Court of the United States (a) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Supreme Court of the United States shall, after appropriate public notice and opportunity for comment in accordance with section 2071 of title 28, United States Code, issue a code of conduct for the Chief Justice of the United States and justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. (b) Publication The Supreme Court of the United States shall publish the code of conduct required under subsection (a) on the website of the Supreme Court, which shall be available to the public. (c) Designated individual (1) In general The Supreme Court of the United States shall designate an individual, including an employee, to process complaints containing allegations that the Chief Justice of the United States or a justice of the Supreme Court has engaged in, or is engaging in, conduct that is— (A) prejudicial to the administration of justice; or (B) in violation of Federal law or the code of conduct established under subsection (a). (2) Obligations The Chief Justice of the United States and the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States may confer with the designee described in paragraph (1) on the obligations of the Chief Justice or justice, as applicable, under the code of conduct required under subsection (a) and section 455 of title 28, United States Code. (3) Report The individual designated under paragraph (1) shall publish on the website of the Supreme Court of the United States a report that describes— (A) the complaints described in paragraph (1), with the names of the complainants anonymized; and (B) any steps taken to remedy the alleged conduct. (4) Investigations The Marshal of the Supreme Court of the United States, after consultation with the Chief Justice of the United States and the designee described in paragraph (1), may commission, on a reimbursable basis, Federal agency personnel who serve in investigative roles, or businesses that contract with the Federal Government to carry out investigative work, to assist the Marshal in carrying out investigations to determine whether the Chief Justice of the United States, a justice of the Supreme Court, or an employee who reports to a justice of the Supreme Court, as applicable, has engaged in, or is engaging in, conduct described in paragraph (1).