Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Johnson (GA)
Introduced
Summary
Creates a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary and builds public disclosure, complaint, and disqualification systems to police gifts, conflicts, and amicus funding. It pairs a formal investigation panel with new donor and amicus rules to increase transparency in high‑profile cases.
Show full summary
- Justices, judges, and their clerks must follow a statutory ethics code with minimum gift, income, and reimbursement disclosures and broader disqualification standards. The Court and the Judicial Conference must issue codes within 180 days and a Judicial Investigation Panel of five chief judges can investigate and recommend action.
- Parties and amici face mandatory disclosure of donors, gifts, and consulting support. Amicus briefs must list contributors who give more than 3 percent of gross annual revenue or over $100,000 and the Administrative Office will audit compliance.
- Oversight and records are formalized. The Federal Judicial Center will study compliance every two years and the Government Accountability Office will review those findings on an every five year cycle, while courts must publish disqualification notices and rulings with limited redactions.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Independent panel for justice ethics complaints
Within 180 days, the Court would set rules to file complaints about a Justice. A five‑judge panel, randomly chosen from circuit chief judges, would review and investigate complaints. The panel could hold hearings, take sworn testimony, and issue subpoenas. If it does not recommend dismissal, it would publish a report within 30 days. It could publish findings even on dismissal when in the public interest.
Supreme Court ethics code and gift rules
This bill would require a public code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices within 180 days. The Judicial Conference would issue a code for other federal judges in the same time. Rules for gifts, income, and reimbursements for Justices and law clerks would at least match Senate and House standards. The Court would post the codes and rules on its website in full, searchable, and downloadable form. Public notice and comment would be used before adopting or changing these codes.
Random panels to review judge recusals
Parties could move to disqualify a judge with a good‑faith certificate and affidavit. The judge would grant it or send it to a random three‑judge panel and pause the case. Panel judges could not sit on the same court, and only one could be from the same circuit. For a Supreme Court Justice, the other Justices would decide. Courts would post timely notices online and list each reason for any disqualification or ruling.
Regular studies on recusal and audits
The Federal Judicial Center would study recusal compliance within 180 days, then by December 1 every other year. It would keep records when judges are not assigned for conflicts and when judges step aside after assignment. It would report to Congress by April 1 after each study. If requested by a Judiciary Committee, the Government Accountability Office could review the studies within one year and every five years after that, with access to needed records.
Stronger recusal rules on money ties
Judges would need to know their own financial interests and those of a spouse and minor children at home. If a possible recusal issue arises, the judge would notify all parties right away. New recusal grounds would include lobbying contacts or substantial spending in support of a judge’s nomination. A judge would also be disqualified if they or their household got income, a gift, or reimbursement from a party or affiliate from six years before assignment through the case’s end.
New donor and gift disclosures in cases
Amicus filers would list anyone who helped write the brief and large donors. They would name donors giving at least 3% of revenue or over $100,000 last year, with certain exceptions. Within one year, the Supreme Court would set rules for parties and amici to disclose gifts, income, or reimbursements to any Justice from two years before a case starts through its end. They would also disclose lobbying contacts or major spending tied to a Justice’s nomination. The courts’ Administrative Office would run an annual audit. The Court would propose rules within 180 days to bar or strike amicus briefs that would cause disqualification.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Johnson (GA)
GA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Carson
IN • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4]
PA • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37]
TX • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6]
LA • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Foster, Bill [D-IL-11]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
McClellan
VA • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Min, Dave [D-CA-47]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12]
NY • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Pingree
ME • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8]
MD • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2]
NC • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5]
PA • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Sherrill
NJ • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4]
AZ • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Swalwell
CA • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Thompson (MS)
MS • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
HI • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Craig
MN • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
MA • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
CO • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3]
NM • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5]
GA • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]
IL • D
Sponsored 6/30/2025
Ocasio-Cortez
NY • D
Sponsored 6/30/2025
Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large]
VT • D
Sponsored 6/30/2025
Mullin
CA • D
Sponsored 7/2/2025
Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17]
IL • D
Sponsored 7/25/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 7/25/2025
Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8]
IL • D
Sponsored 7/25/2025
Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3]
AZ • D
Sponsored 7/25/2025
Smith (WA)
WA • D
Sponsored 7/25/2025
Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10]
WA • D
Sponsored 8/1/2025
Rep. Sherman, Brad [D-CA-32]
CA • D
Sponsored 8/1/2025
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
PA • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3]
OR • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Olszewski, Johnny [D-MD-2]
MD • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10]
CA • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Budzinski
IL • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2]
RI • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3]
OH • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Casten
IL • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Scholten, Hillary J. [D-MI-3]
MI • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1]
CT • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Levin
CA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/18/2025
Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3]
NV • D
Sponsored 1/22/2026
Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4]
OR • D
Sponsored 1/22/2026
Norcross
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Stevens, Haley M. [D-MI-11]
MI • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Crow
CO • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1]
OH • D
Sponsored 4/20/2026
Simon
CA • D
Sponsored 4/23/2026
Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17]
PA • D
Sponsored 4/23/2026
Mejia
NJ • D
Sponsored 4/27/2026
Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20]
NY • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Mrvan
IN • D
Sponsored 5/13/2026
Jackson (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 5/13/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov