‘New Era’ of Scrutiny Brings Calls for Supreme Court Ethics Code

Chief Justice John Marshall attended dinner parties hosted by President John Adams. Justice William Douglas played poker with President Franklin Roosevelt. And Justice Byron White went on ski trips with Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

None of those relationships seemed to sound alarms. Now, even attending a private Christmas party can raise suspicions about a Supreme Court justice’s ability to remain impartial on the bench.

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Several high-profile incidents in the last 10 months—involving both ...