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Congress·In Committee·10 months ago

House Committee Reviews Bill Requiring Supreme Court Ethics Code and Gift Limits

Also known as: Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2025

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Impacts

Negative Impacts(1)
Federal Employee
Hurts

Key Points

  • Tells the Supreme Court to create a written code of conduct within 180 days, with public notice and a chance for people to comment.
  • Requires the Court to post its ethics rules online in a searchable, downloadable format, so the public can easily see what the rules are.
  • Creates a formal way for people to file ethics complaints against Supreme Court justices, with investigations handled by a panel of 5 randomly chosen chief circuit judges.
  • Tightens recusal (stepping aside) rules when there are possible conflicts, including certain ties to lobbying contacts or gifts/income, and requires quick notice to the parties when a conflict is found.
  • Adds new disclosure rules for friend-of-the-court briefs, including naming major funders, and requires studies and audits on how well judges follow conflict-of-interest rules.
Criminal JusticeCivil RightsConsumer Protection

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
May 20, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

May 20, 2025

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Within 180 days after the bill becomes law

Supreme Court issues a code of conduct after public notice and a chance for people to comment

You could see a clearer, written set of ethics rules for justices, and the public could weigh in before it is finalized

Within 180 days after the bill becomes law

Judicial Conference issues a code of conduct for appeals, district, bankruptcy, and magistrate judges

Ethics rules for other federal judges would be updated through a public-comment process

Within 180 days after the bill becomes law

Supreme Court launches a formal process for people to file misconduct complaints about a justice and assigns reviews to a 5-judge investigation panel

Members of the public and parties could have a defined way to raise ethics concerns, with an outside panel able to investigate and publish reports

After the code and related rules are created (likely within months of the bill becoming law)

Supreme Court posts ethics rules online in a searchable, downloadable format

Regular people could more easily find and read the ethics rules and related guidance without digging through scattered documents

As soon as the law takes effect, unless delayed by later court rule updates

New recusal (step-aside) triggers and the “duty to notify” go into effect for federal judges

In some cases, judges may have to step aside more often and notify the parties as soon as a conflict is discovered; some cases could be reassigned and slow down

Within 1 year after the bill becomes law

Supreme Court creates rules requiring parties and amici to disclose certain gifts/income/reimbursements and nomination-related spending tied to justices

Big cases could include more up-front disclosures in briefs, which may change litigation strategy and increase transparency about potential conflicts

After the law takes effect and courts update their filing requirements (likely within 1 year)

Amicus briefs in federal courts begin including new donor/contributor disclosure statements, and annual audits begin

Advocacy groups may need stronger recordkeeping and could face public scrutiny of large donors connected to court activity

First study due about 180 days after the bill becomes law; then every other year by December 1

Federal Judicial Center produces the first compliance study and then repeats it every other year

Congress and the public would get regular data on how often judges follow (or don’t follow) conflict rules, which could lead to further changes

By April 1 each year after a study is completed

Annual report to Congress follows each completed study

Findings and recommendations could push future reforms that affect how quickly and fairly cases move through federal courts

Related News

2 articles
Courthouse News Service·10 months ago

Dem senator sees revived Supreme Court ethics bill as an exercise in messaging

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse reintroduced the SCERT Act in 2025, requiring the Supreme Court to draft a binding code of ethics available for public comment. The measure would establish a panel of five randomly chosen lower court judges to adjudicate ethical complaints against the justices.

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ABA Journal·over 2 years ago

Supreme Court adopts ethics code, addresses 'misunderstanding' that justices feel unrestrained by rules

While the Court adopted its own code, the SCERT Act remains the primary legislative alternative. The bill would mandate a formal code of ethics and send complaints to an investigative panel of lower-court judges, addressing the lack of an enforcement mechanism in the Court's self-adopted rules.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2025

Bill NumberHR 3513
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(55)
D: 55

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.