Her impassioned speech on the House floor comes amid scrutiny of two Supreme Court Justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, over alleged conflicts of interest. “Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court is not facing an ethics crisis. It's a corruption crisis,” Tlaib remarked. “But it seems like that every single day there's new headlines about more corruption coming out of our U.S. Supreme Court,” she added. “I know we need urgent action to hold these unhinged, corrupt, extremists accountable. It is extremely disturbing that the United States Supreme Court, the highest Court of our land, is the only court that does not have enforceable code of conduct.”U.S. House Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) is renewing calls to expand the Supreme Court by adding seats that would be filled with appointees nominated by a Democratic president, thereby shifting the Court's balance to the left.
The Supreme Court is facing a corruption crisis. We need to expand the Supreme Court, enact term limits on Supreme Court Justices, enforce a binding code of ethics, and expedite impeachment proceedings.
Thomas and Alito need to be impeached and removed from the bench. pic.twitter.com/pRQxjMqFDu
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) June 13, 2024
Tlaib referenced recent controversies involving Thomas and Alito as justification for reshaping the Court.
Thomas has been under fire since a report by ProPublica revealed that he took numerous trips funded by a Republican donor. However, according to federal reporting guidelines, Thomas was not required to disclose these trips, a point he emphasized while defending himself against allegations of impropriety.
In recent weeks, Alito has faced scrutiny over flags flown over his home and vacation home in New Jersey.
During the aftermath of the 2020 election, Alito’s home displayed an inverted American flag, a display historically meant to indicate distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. Critics argue that this aligns him with some protestors who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, as they displayed the flag in the same manner.
A second incident pounced upon by Alito’s critics involves the Revolutionary War-era “Appeal to Heaven” flag displayed outside of his New Jersey beach house. Given that this flag was also displayed by some of the J6 rioters, Alito’s detractors say its appearance on his property is a silent nod to the protestors.
Tlaib argues that these incidents demonstrate bias and necessitate sweeping changes to the Court
“It's time to expand the Supreme Court. It's time for reforms,” Tlaib stated. “I know our residents in the 12th Congressional District are demanding that I move with urgency on this issue.”
Among the reforms pitched by Tlaib are term limits, a binding code of conduct, and expedited impeachment proceedings to consider the purge of Justices accused of wrongdoing.
“But let me be clear, Thomas and Alito need to be impeached and removed from the bench now,” she added. “Our country deserves a Supreme Court that's acting in the best interest of the American people, not a court that is accepting bribes and doing the bidding of right wing extremists.”
