In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Justice Samuel Alito says that "Congress lacks the power to impose a code of ethics on the Supreme Court." As AP News points out, this statement comes after Democrats "pushed Supreme Court ethics legislation through a Senate committee, though the bill's prospects in the full Senate are dim."
In the interview, which took place in New York in early July, Alito says, "I know this is a controversial view, but I'm willing to say it. No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court—period," stepping forward as the first member of the court to balk — this openly — at the up-tick in scrutiny of general attitudes and behavior when the black robes are off.
