Supreme Court Transparency Act
Bill: S.956 | Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy, John (R-LA)
Policy area: Law

Summary:
Supreme Court Transparency Act
This bill requires online publication of ethics reports, personal finance reports, and other disclosure reports regarding the Justices of the Supreme Court.
The bill also requires the Justices of the Supreme Court to file periodic transaction reports regarding the purchase, sale, or exchange of stocks, bonds, commodities futures, and other forms of securities when the amount of the transaction exceeds $1,000.

To require adequate reporting of ethics, personal finance, and 
  disclosure reports for justices of the Supreme Court of the United 
                                States.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Supreme Court Transparency Act''.

SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF REPORTS RELATING TO JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME 
              COURT OF THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Public Availability of Ethics, Personal Finance, and Disclosure 
Forms for the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the United 
States.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrative Office of the United 
        States Courts shall establish a searchable internet database 
        system on an official website of the United States Government, 
        to enable public access to any ethics, personal finance, or 
        disclosure report required to be made under Federal law by the 
        Chief Justice or an associate justice of the Supreme Court, 
        including any amendment or update to such a report.
            (2) Availability.--Any report described in paragraph (1), 
        including any amendment or update to such a report, shall be 
        made publically available on the database established under 
        paragraph (1) not later than 30 days after the date on which 
        the report is filed.
            (3) Limitation on redaction.--
                    (A) In general.--Any document made public in the 
                database established under paragraph (1) may be 
                redacted only--
                            (i) to the extent necessary to protect the 
                        individual who filed the report or a family 
                        member of that individual; and
                            (ii) during the period during which the 
                        danger to such individual or a family member 
                        exists.
                    (B) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Judicial Conference 
                of the United States, in consultation with the 
                Department of Justice, shall promulgate regulations 
                setting forth the circumstances under which redaction 
                is appropriate under this subsection and the procedures 
                for redaction.
    (b) Periodic Transaction Reports.--Section 103(l) of the Ethics in 
Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
            ``(11) The Chief Justice of the United States and the 
        Associate Justices of the Supreme Court.''.
    (c) Severability Clause.--If any provision of this section or an 
amendment made by this section, or the application of such a provision 
or amendment to any person or circumstance, is held to be 
unconstitutional, the remaining provisions of this section and 
amendments made by this section, and the application of such provisions 
and amendments to any other person or circumstance, shall not be 
affected thereby.
                                 <all>