LETTER: Ethics and the Supreme Court

After numerous ethics concerns were raised about the behavior of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the court in November adopted a “Code Of Conduct” that all justices are expected to follow.

We should not, however, expect the existence of ethics rules to turn an unethical person into an ethical one. That is because people who were not raised from an early age to behave in an ethical manner often remain predisposed to behaving improperly even after written ethics rules are adopted. Conversely, people who were raised from an early age to behave in an ethical manner will be predisposed to do the right thing even if written ethics rules are never adopted.

Therefore, the solution is not simply to adopt rules. Rather, the solution is to ensure that future Supreme Court candidates are individuals who were raised to be ethical and who have unassailable integrity before they are confirmed. That way, the Supreme Court can re-establish its reputation for honor and dignity, instead of continuing to project the unsettling image of an on-the-job ethics training clinic for people of dubious character.