What the Supreme Court’s New Ethics Code Lacks

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The Supreme Court’s new ethics code is a nod at the public pressure the court is facing. Beyond that, it will do little to change the justices’ behavior.

First, here are four new stories from The Atlantic:

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An Unstable Structure

, the Supreme Court said to America yesterday. Though it may not be enforceable, the Court at least has a formal now. The Court has been facing an onslaught of public pressure after reports that justices, particularly Clarence Thomas, had. This code, the first in the Court’s history, is signed by all nine justices, and lays out “rules and principles” for the justices’ behavior. Its publication is an acknowledgment that the public is dissatisfied with the Court, but beyond that, it is more symbolic than anything else.