Supreme Court Ethics and Investigations Act

Guidance on Ethics: The Office of Ethics Counsel would advise justices and their spouses on important matters such as financial disclosures, accepting gifts, political activity, and conflicts of interest (Section 2(a)(2)).

Mandatory Training: Justices would be required to take a training course on judicial ethics every two years (Section 2(c)).

Transparency through Reporting: The chief ethics counsel must submit an annual report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, detailing how often advice was sought, the topics covered, and whether the advice was followed (Section 2(d)).

Investigation of Complaints: The Office of Investigative Counsel can review and investigate ethics complaints against justices, including those involving their spouses and dependents (Section 3(a)(2)).

Accountability for Investigations: The Office of Investigative Counsel is required to report findings and recommendations to the Chief Justice or the most senior associate justice, and must inform the Attorney General if there are reasonable grounds to believe a federal criminal law was violated (Section 3(c)(4)).

Potential for Subpoenas: The Chief Investigative Counsel would have the authority to issue subpoenas to compel witnesses to appear and produce books, papers, or other relevant records (Section 3(a)(2)(B)).

Legal Consequences for Non-compliance: If a person refuses to obey a subpoena issued by the Office, they could face a court order and potentially be punished by contempt of court (Section 3(a)(2)(B)).