By Zina Greene, Member, Democracy & Human Rights Task Force

Dear Chief Justice Roberts,

You must cringe to read about Justice Thomas and his wife as new revelations regarding possible ethics violations appear, daily. After all, you are the Chief Justice and the history of the court will be written as the Roberts Court. It is hard to close the barn door after the animals are out, but at least you can prepare for action in any future lapses of ethical behavior.

We recommend that you take action to codify a set of ethics guidelines for members of the Supreme Court and a method of exercising penalties by the court for lapses. Yes, you are the “supreme” Court, but every one of the nine members is human and can lapse in judgment. Nevertheless, with a set of ethics guidelines and a means for adjudicating ethical violations, your Court will rise in national esteem. We urge you to develop an actionable code of ethics if you want to be known in history as a chief justice who was more than a bean counter (yeas and nays). The Roberts’ Court looks very political today. Is that the way you want it to be recorded in history?

In mutual respect for American Jurisprudence,

—Public Policy & Political Action Committee, Woman’s National Democratic Club