The watchdog group Accountable.us & Rep Hank Johson (D-GA) issued a letter calling for #ClarenceThomas’s #recusal from the #Oklahoma case because of his ties to Nicole Garnett, the #NotreDame #law prof, who helped shepherd it.

But unlike #AmyConeyBarrett, Thomas did not #recuse.

Garnett was a clerk for Thomas in the late 1990s & has maintained a close relationship w/ him, which Accountable & Johnson say call into question his objectivity in the case.

#law #SCOTUS #ethics

#Alito continues to own individual #stock in >2 dozen companies — a practice that is permitted, but that #transparency advocates caution can lead to conflicts of interest that require #recusal from key cases. The justice reported owning stock in Abbott Laboratories, Boeing & ConocoPhillips, among several other companies.

Chief Justice #JohnRoberts is the only other member of #SCOTUS who owns individual stocks; most other justices invest in mutual funds.

#law #ethics

“I just think judges are not so afraid of us. I think there are plenty of judges around this country who could do a task like that in a very fair-minded & serious way” #Kagan said.

Kagan was expanding on her recent suggestion that Chief Justice #JohnRoberts appoint an outside panel of highly experienced judges to review allegations of wrongdoing or #recusal decisions by the justices, some of whom face questions over unreported gifts & conflicts of interest in key cases.

#SCOTUS #ethics #law