U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) said on Wednesday that he would oppose a proposed Democrat bill to impose a code of ethics on the U.S. Supreme Court, saying the measure was an effort to target Republican justices.
The proposed rule comes after months of criticism against Justice Samuel Alito over pictures of flags flown from Alito’s home recently emerged. The flags drew the ire of left-wing pundits.
One flag was an upside-down American flag meant to signal distress. The other is an “appeal to heaven” flag, a New England flag flown during the American Revolutionary War to symbolize resistance.
Despite Alito claiming the flags were raised by his wife, many Democratic lawmakers and commentators have demanded that Alito recuse himself from several cases involving former President Donald Trump and related to the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol building.
Alito is not alone; Republican justices, such as Justice Clarence Thomas, have been targeted by Democrats for years.
D.C. Democrats have used the flags as a call to pass a bill requiring the Supreme Court to adopt a binding code of ethics, a measure primarily opposed by Republicans. The Supreme Court adopted a code of ethics last year, but Democratic lawmakers claim the code does not have an enforcement mechanism. If passed, the bill would almost guarantee that Alito would be compelled to recuse himself.
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) will attempt to pass the bill through committee on Wednesday.
Tuberville is one of many Republican senators expected to resist the legislation, telling reporters on Wednesday that Democrats’ efforts are meant to target Republican justices.
“We’ve looked at all those; they do have a code of ethics that they go by, just like we do here in the Senate and in the House,” Tuberville said. “I don’t think that we need to keep continuing to add rules. I think we just need to make sure that, if we need to enforce one, we enforce it. It’s like any other law that we have, any other rules that we should go by. Just go by the rules, and if they don’t go by the rules, then they should be held accountable.”
“It’s all one-sided,” he continued. “It’s going after Republican Supreme Court Justices, and it’s wrong; it’s dead wrong. But I think everybody understands pretty much what the Democrats are trying to do here.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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