The policy-making U.S. Judicial Conference defied its image by approving the reforms at its semiannual meeting, the first since The Kansas City Star began reporting on ethical violations earlier this year. The judiciary is the most ponderous branch of government. They are not accustomed to concerted action. But Lubet and others, including some in Congress, said Wednesday that the judges still have far to go before reaching full public accountability. I want to review these new policies and procedures in practice to see how effective they are in opening up the financial disclosure process to the public as well as assisting judges in complying with the law.
Some legal experts favor placing all judges' investments on the Internet for everyone to see.
As yet, that's not on the judges' agenda. But the conference, headed by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, is debating whether to allow the public to review judges' financial holdings at their local courthouses. Currently, that option is available only in Kansas City. Reforms the conference approved this week include slashing charges for copies of judges' financial disclosure reports and lowering other administrative obstacles to the public. It waived a requirement that all requests to see the reports be signed by a notary public, and it unveiled a series of ethics training programs for judges.