Watson Coleman Calls For Judicial Reform Amid SCOTUS Ethics Scandal

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) held a press conference in Trenton over the weekend, calling for major reform to the judicial system including Court expansion.

The press conference comes close on the heels of ProPublica reporting that Supreme Court justices failed to disclose gifts and real estate deals.

“Seemingly every month or so a new scandal emerges, from Justice Thomas's gifts, to the sale of property by Justice Gorsuch to lawyers with cases before the court, to Chief Justice Roberts refusing to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee,” Watson Coleman said.

“The result has been a cratering of Americans’ faith in the court. It now has the lowest approval rating in its history. There are many reforms we can explore — a code of ethics, term limits or cycling of judges to the lower courts, but only expansion would immediately restore balance to a court controlled by an unaccountable, unethical majority that has put their personal political bias above the law."

Watson Coleman was joined by former Planned Parenthood chief Cecile Richards and former Biden Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States Commissioner Caroline Fredrickson.

In April, ProPublica reported that Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose luxury travel financed by billionaire Harlan Crow, who is a Republican donor. Crow also bought real estate for Thomas in 2014, which he failed to disclose, according to the report.

Late last month, CNN reported that the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal brought against a company with ties to Crow.

The press conference by Watson Coleman is the latest stop on a national bus tour by the ‘Just Majority’ campaign. The campaign is sponsored by a set of leading national reproductive rights, gun violence prevention, civil rights, and judicial reform groups who are calling for reforms including Supreme Court expansion.

“The only reform that’s going to deal with the crisis that we’re in is to expand the Court,” Fredrickson said. “By expanding the court and adding new justices we would actually be able to rebalance the court so we can have a court more in line with what we understand the Constitution to be.”

Ex-Planned Parenthood Chief Richards said it was time to bring reform to the justice system.

“It is beyond time to reform this Court so that we can restore the faith of the American people and advance justice and equality," Richards said. "We need to restore balance to the Supreme Court including expanding the Court. This is not a tomorrow thing; this is a today thing. People’s lives are at stake.”

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