Supreme Court Transparency Act

Bill: 117-s-956
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]
Introduced: 2021-03-24
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Government ethics and transparency, public corruption

Government information and archives

Judges

Judicial procedure and administration

Supreme Court
Latest action: action_date: 2021-03-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-03-24
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Supreme Court Transparency Act </strong></p> <p>This bill requires online publication of ethics reports, personal finance reports, and other disclosure reports regarding the Justices of the Supreme Court. </p> <p>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. </p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 956 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 24, 2021 Mr. Kennedy introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To require adequate reporting of ethics, personal finance, and disclosure reports for justices of the Supreme Court of the United States.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Supreme Court Transparency Act . 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.