For Immediate Release

BELKIN: CONEY BARRETT BOOK WINDFALL UNDERSCORES NEED FOR CODE OF ETHICS

New polling finds most Americans distrust Court, want structural reform

WASHINGTON, DC (April 19, 2021) — In response to reports that Justice Amy Coney Barrett accepted a $2 million book advance less than six months after taking the judicial oath, Take Back the Court Director Aaron Belkin issued the following statement:

“Republicans jammed through Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination in a rushed confirmation process during which she failed to disclose important information about her prior work. Now just months later, she’s raking in a $2 million book advance. If that’s not an argument for a code of ethics for Supreme Court justices, I don’t know what is. It’s no surprise that a poll yesterday found less than half of Americans have confidence in the Court’s decisions and most Americans want to end lifetime appointments for Supreme Court justices. It’s past time to restore balance and trust in the Supreme Court by adding seats, ending lifetime appointments, and requiring the justices to live by the same code of ethics as every other federal judge.”

Take Back the Court raises awareness about the urgent need to expand the number of seats on the Supreme Court to address the theft of the court by Senator Mitch McConnell during the Obama Administration. Without adding seats, Congress will not be able to restore the right to vote, ensure reproductive freedom, protect workers, halt our climate emergency, or pass new legislation. Court expansion, which can be accomplished without a constitutional amendment, is the only reform that enables the un-rigging of the system and the restoration of democracy. Learn more at https://www.takebackthecourt.today.