At a speech last Friday at Notre Dame Law School, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan said “it would be a good thing” for the court to adopt a code of ethics. In recent months, the high court has come under fire for its lack of a code of ethics, an issue laid bare by ProPublica’s reporting on Justice Clarence Thomas’ connections with billionaire Harlan Crow and the acceptance of luxury trips without disclosure.
“It's just going to be a constant thorn in their sides until they do something about it,” explained NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg. Favorable views of the Supreme Court among Americans have fallen to a historic low, according to the Pew Research Center.
Totenberg will be in St. Louis on Oct. 13 for Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s “Justice Speaks” event. She joined St. Louis on the Air in advance of that event and the start of the new Supreme Court term on Monday.
“These ethics questions are something that people understand quite easily,” Totenberg said. “They understand the notion of potential conflicts of interest.”
Thomas has denied wrongdoing, as has Justice Samuel Alito. Alito came under fire when ProPublica reported that he’d flown to Alaska on hedge fund manager Paul Singer’s jet in 2008. Singer, a GOP billionaire, later had cases before the Supreme Court.
In July, Alito told the Wall Street Journal’s opinion section that, “No provision in the Constitution gives [Congress] the authority to regulate the Supreme Court — period.”
Totenberg has reported on the U.S. Supreme Court for NPR for nearly 50 years. It’s a job that continues to excite her. “The issues are always different or [there’s] a new wrinkle,” she said. “And right now we have a court that's the most conservative in probably 90 years.
“The court is systematically undertaking the process of undoing a great deal of what it has done for the last half-century or more,” she added. “It’s a really interesting story.”
On St. Louis on the Air, Totenberg discussed the major cases she’s watching in the new term. She also talked about “Dinners with Ruth,” a memoir about her relationship with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in 2020.
Listen to the conversation with NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg on St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast or by clicking the play button below.
Related Event
What: “Justice Speaks” at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 13
Where: Marriott St. Louis Grand, 800 Washington Ave., St. Louis, MO 63101
Correction: A previous version of the audio in this story mischaracterized Anita Hill's allegations against then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production intern. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
