This made me prick up my antennae:
Legislation that would subject U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges to tougher disclosure requirements for their financial holdings and stock trades passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday in a rare show of bipartisanship.
The bill, approved on a voice vote after winning Senate passage in February, would make it easier for the public to see if a member of the federal judiciary has a financial conflict of interest warranting recusal from hearing a case.
The Courthouse Ethics and Transparency Act now goes to President Joe Biden to sign into law. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said that while he had yet to talk to Biden about the bill, “he has always been full throated about furthering ethics and transparency in government and restoring trust in institutions, and this kind of policy is aligned with those goals.” [Reuters]
I think we’re going to see a few judges, mostly of the Trump vintage, getting caught up in the gears of this legislation, as well as public opinion, because it seems that public officials of any background can sure misunderstand financial ethics rules.
But I expect the Trump nominated judges, both from quality and numbers, to be the most likely to get caught up. And then what?
Threats of impeachment. Resignations.
All over the next four years. I expect to see five ± three judges end up leaving the bench prematurely because of this legislation befouling their sails, if you’ll forgive the pun, and possibly giving the Democrats a chance to make up judicial numbers.
