and relevant to what we will be discussing today, i worked very closely with the judicial conference and its committees when i was ftc director. my primary responsibilities were overseeing policy-related research and educational curriculum for the judicial branch, including education about ethical standards and financial reporting requirements. the chief justice chaired our governing board. i had regular contact with him and with the circuit and district court's leadership. i am pleased to say i have collegial relationships with judges all over the country of all judicial philosophies. it is something that is very meaningful to me. before being appointed as director of the federal judicial center, i was a member of the judicial conference committee on financial disclosure for seven years. i acquired substantial knowledge of the ethics in government act and its applications to judicial officers including the redaction to protect by letters and their families. the principal point is the court needs greater transparency when it relates to ethics. i want to be clear why i'm here today. i

and that was sent for its disposition to the judicial conference and within the judicial conference toal disclosure committee, which is the exact same thing that has been done with the current allegations regarding justice thomas. so, what they did then is very important to understand regarding what they're likely to do now. and what they did then, a judge was on the judicial conference at the time explained, was to basically ask and answer the wrong question, and to use a procedure that prevented any of this from becoming public. so, as we look forward to the judicial conference considering this latest set of allegations, which are now repeat offender allegations, one can hope that they will do a different job than was done a decade ago. >> is there any indication of any disagreement within the conference when they examined this issue in the past? >> yeah. in fact, our witness raised questions about why it was not being brought up to the judicial conference when he knew that it was being assigned to this financial disclosure committee of the judicial conference. they are supposed to r

that i believe has ever been -- certainly not on the supreme court level. >> thank you. >> the judicial conferenceof the right thing by strengthening the disclosure requirements that apply judicial offices including the supreme court recently. the supreme court justices are still not bound to the code of conduct as we have been discussing for united states judges unlike all other federal judges, the code requires that a judge uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary and avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety. how is an enforceable code of conduct help to ensure the rules are consistently applied for every other judge in the federal system? >> who was bound to that for 37 years, both are state court judge and federal judge, it really is your northstar. it is what you look at in terms of the values you want to uphold as a judge. it something that guides your conduct and also is something the public can look to and say this is what we expect of our judges. >> you agree with judge ludwig who was quoted by senator durbin who wrote the committee to say if the supreme court doe

they do go through the procedures of the judicial conference.ore there to work with than you might think. >> so harlan crow as i understand it, also purchased justice thomas's mother's house, the family home in georgia. was that a loophole also? that doesn't count as hospitality. was that declared? >> no, no there's some things that are impossible to excuse under the reporting rules, and one is a transaction that's over a thousand dollars in real estate that isn't your primary residence disqualifies, no excuses, should have been disclosed. another one is jet travel. even personal hospitality has to be food, lodging or entertainment, so being flown someplace in a jet is transportation, not food, lodging or entertainment and that clearly should have been disclosed. and then we'll go back and look at 2011 and see what was missed in that process including this directed payment from leonard leo who is the billionaire's chief mistress maker in their court packing operation. >> and describe that payment. is that the payment to ginni thomas? >> yes, yes

you worked the judicial conference. you had the role that was given by statute by congress to administer these laws in the context of administering these laws under the supervision of the chief justice, were you ever told that these laws were unconstitutional or the financial committee should not enforce them? >> the justices complied as did all other federal justices to disclosure requirements. >> part of the law, if there is a financial disclosure violation within the determination to whether the violation was willful and subject to civil penalties actually gets referred to the attorney general. >> that's correct. the committee looks at the nondisclosure or complete disclosure determined. the committee tries to get them to comply with the disclosure requirements but if there is a failure, the committee has the ability to make that referral. >> if they found reasonable cause as someone could believe that this is a violation. >> there are civil fines that are possible to be applied. >> this committee tries very hard to

and relevant to what we will be discussing today, i worked very closely with the judicial conference and its committees when i was ftc director. my primary responsibilities were overseeing policy-related research and educational curriculum for the judicial branch, including education about ethical standards and financial reporting requirements. the chief justice chaired our governing board. i had regular contact with him and with the circuit and district court's leadership. i am pleased to say i have collegial relationships with judges all over the country of all judicial philosophies. it is something that is very meaningful to me. before being appointed as director of the federal judicial center, i was a member of the judicial conference committee on financial disclosure for seven years. i acquired substantial knowledge of the ethics in government act and its applications to judicial officers including the redaction to protect by letters and their families. the principal point is the court needs greater transparency when it relates to ethics. i want to be clear why i'm here today. i

so i think that the first step is going to be for the judicial conference, the other judges to put some constraints around the supreme court's behavior and treat the supreme court the way all other federal judges are treated. and that happens inside the judiciary. so it doesn't get into the... >> the chief justice has to make this decision, though, right? separation of powers, whether i mean, it's pretty established congress can't make a law that does that, right? >> oh, it absolutely can. >> well, it doesn't mean it's constitutional. >> yes, it does. it means it's constitutional because the laws that we're talking about right now are actually laws passed by congress. the ethics reporting law that is at the heart of the clarence thomas ethics reporting scandal is a law passed by congress. >> i understand that. but in the executive branch, what cabinet secretaries have to do, the president and the vice president don't have to do due to separation of powers. so on the executive branch side -- >> that's an argument that has been made on behalf of the president. i'm not sure that that actua

so i think that there's a real role for the judicial conference, the other judges to play in bringingjustices into alignment with what every other federal judge has to abide by. >> senator sheldon whitehouse, we thank you, sir. >>> coming up next, everybody, we have heard a lot about how drugs like ozempic can help people lose weight, but could they also help fight addiction? >>> plus, seeing red, the netflix password crackdown, it is upon us. we'll be right back. is upon us we'll be right back. (man) it's pretty simple. i kinda just want things the way i want them. (woman) i want a network that won't let me down. even up here! (woman #2) with an unlimited plan that's truly right for me. (woman #3) with verizon's new myplan, i get exactly what i want. and only pay for what i need. (man #2) now i'm in charge... ...of my plan. (vo) introducing myplan from verizon, the first and only plan where you pick your perks... ...and save on every one. so you get exactly what you want and only pay for what you need. and it all starts at just $30. on the network you want. because it's your verizon.

the code of ethics the judicial conference hands down to the lower court judge says advisory when it comes to the supreme court justices. they will say they look at it and they confirm make private decisions. ultimately they make their own calls about whether certain situations call for a stay or it will be improper to for them to take a trip sponsored by wealthy person. if certain situations come to light where are they failed to recuse themselves if they went on a trip with a wealthy donor and people on the outside outside think think it shouldn't happen there's no process for anyone to call foul on that because there is no policing authority for the supreme court so it's a completely different from thehe system that the lower court judges follow and no authority that can -- >> if you'd like to call and ask a question or make a comment forecast you can do so now on her line for partydo affiliatio. you can also send us a text or in direct with us on social media. there've been reports about justice clarence thomas and now reports about justice gorsuch on i believe a property transac

. >> i ran this up the flagpole and got kind of nowhere with the judicial conference, which is the governing judiciary, and he essentially said they said to him, no, no, no nothing to see here. so he after much anguish, alex, comes forward and says i don't love doing this, this doesn't feel right to me, but the reason we have both statutes that govern what judges disclose and a judicial conference which sets the rules is so we don't get in situations where all the stuff comes out, the judiciary looks terrible and then they say nothing was done and try to do something. >> it feels by virtue of having this person, this senior judge explain his moral anguish over clarence thomas' situation, the fact this is happening at a subcommittee of the senate judiciary committee and the fact the senate finance committee ron widen, sent harlan crow a letter today asking for a detailed list of flights and yacht trips and the three georgia properties crow bought for clarence thomas, it feels like there might be some oversight and accountability here, or am i being overly optimistic what could happen? >> ther

that's why i sent this recent updated letter to the judicial conference to focus them on those issues if we understand this correctly. we in sort of understanding the revelations, and again, without your majority on the committee, we haven't seen -- unless this is coming from journalists and journalism, there's a fundamental lack of transparency in the dark money that you've been talking about for many, many years, which seems to flow back and forth between the special interests and the conservative justices. there's a lack of ethics for the supreme court and the supreme court only. did you not abide by the same ethics rules that govern federal judges, and then there seems to be this third bucket of a lack to abide by their own meager disclosure and ethics laws. is it that third category where you have questions of potential illegality? >> that third is probably the center of the concentric circles of investigation that are required because that's very immediately in front of us, and i think that the measure that the court says it's following is the same code of ethics and the same di

, investigation by the judiciary committee, but that she in the house, investigation by the judicial conferencender the law for every mission under the statute of limitations, he could be fined $50,000. with a go about four years, see how many of those in the last four years, we should find him. we should pass new laws that have a code of conduct that is enforceable and stronger gift travel, personal spotty rules like the house and senate do. i am worried about this next generation of judges and justices because so many attempts look up to thomas. i don't want them to be looking up to thomas ethically. it doesn't of them are already in seats in lower court judges. you know the second that there is precedent haley or desantis or hutchinson, thomas won't resign. one of this former course will replace him. i don't want them to be harlan crow's next project. i think sending stronger messages right now will have a good effect for generations. >> -- ill-defined but do you think we are getting there? >> i think we're getting close. i think there are -- there was the first ever bipartisan supreme court

. >> iran's up the flagpole and got nowhere with the judicial conference, which is the governing cobbly said, they say to him no, nothing to see here. and so he, after much anguish, alex, comes forward and says, i don't love doing this. this doesn't feel right to me. but the reason we have both statutes that govern what judges disclose, and a judicial conference, which sets the rules, is so we don't get in situations where all this stuff comes out. the judiciary looks terrible in they say nothing was done. i try to do something. >> it feels like, by virtue of having this person, this senior judge, explain his moral anguish over clarence thomas's situation, the fact that this is happening at a subcommittee of the senate judiciary committee and the fact that i believe the senate finance committee, ron wyden, sent harlan crow a letter today asking for detailed lists and costs of the flights in the yacht trips and the three georgia properties that crow bought from clearance thomas, it feels like there might actually be some oversight and accountability here, or am i being overly optimisti

and what i've been asking him and telling him and indeed told him at the last judicial conference meeting, which i get invited to, not his favorite invite, i'll tell you, is, okay, now that you establish the proposition that you can order investigations into matters, investigate what thomas knew and when he knew it about his wife's activities, the insurrection, pretty straightforward investigative stuff. so it opens it opens a window for him to lead an ethics regime in which there is at least investigation with traditional investigative principles, that if you lie you know, you're accountable and it's not just press releases from the judges. so that, i think is pretty important. and then, of course, he could always move to try to adopt a code of ethics and to determine a way in which that ethics code could be enforced. so he has he can't affect any other judge's decision in a case that they're absolutely independent on. but this administrate and oversight aspect of it is very real for him. and my guess he wants absolutely no part of it because it's a mess and it's going to make some of th

weekend that there was a lower federal court judge, district court judge, who is asking the judicial conferenceething about justice thomas a decade ago. it is absolutely true that lower court judges are bound by really strict rules. you cannot buy them a cup of coffee. i know federal judges who would not get into an elevator with somebody who has business before them. they are very careful to police themselves because they understand -- and this is in the federalist papers -- the only parody judiciary has is public approbation, and that is an incredibly fragile thing. the idea that the chief justice put forth he said he was not going to testify before the hearing last week, that somehow it is unreasonable to ask judges to police themselves, or that they should be left to determine their own ethics rules, it is not just a question of this looks kind of kinky. they are undermining the judicial branch. every judge except the supreme court justices have to abide by the ethical canons, statutes. the notion that there is some sphere of privacy in'clarence thomas llife, leonard leo saying we did not d

what has happened is the disclosure questions regarding clarence thomas have been sent by the judicial conference, the top administrative body of the courts down to their so-called financial disclosure committee, which then makes a recommendation as to whether to refer that matter to the justice department if there is reasonable cause to believe that justice thomas' failure to disclose might have been willful. so it could get to the department through that willfulness referral. and we'll be watching to see what happens because the last time that happened, it seems to have died in the financial disclosure committee. >> there seems to be a sense of stasis. they refuse, that letter was fairly arrogant, i'll say as a layperson, from the supreme court chief justice. essentially saying, no thanks, we don't need your help. we're good. we don't have any ethical issues but their approval ratings are in the basement, right? they have dropped 30-some odd points over the last 20 years. people don't trust them, and no one believes they're not just politicians. let me play you to you. this is you, senator whit

information we need to draw our conclusions and i'm not ruling out anything and i would say the judicial conference some information from the chief justice is undergoing its own investigation, as i understand. so there are active efforts under way as it should be. we need to change the image of this court at this point. it's at the lowest ebb in history. >> are you willing to subpoena leonard leo or harlan crow? you're not going to subpoena supreme court justices? >> everything is on the table. >> one of the reasons that you are a little ham strung from acting is your colleague dianne feinstein from california is still out sick. she said she's returning this coming week. her office has not confirmed that. senator feinstein has missed dozens of key votes and you are confirming judicial nominees who have a republican backing and questions about her ability to perform her job were being raised years before her recent bout with shingles which we obviously hope she recovers from soon. at what point do the tens of millions of voters currently lacking full representation in the senate from california, at

that question was referred to the financial disclosure of the judicial conference.ters a lot because this matter just car referred to the same committee. it's a matter both of oversight, of this time, and what happened last time. the second thing is to look at the array of groups and individuals around these gifts, the billionaire funded apparatus behind these payments to try to pull together a better understanding of what was the mechanism and what was the motive of directing these payments to justice thomas. >> now, obviously, the chief justice declined to appear. are you considering calling harlan crow or leonard leo to testify? >> well, we're supportive not only of the judiciary committee, but also in the finance committee, where i also say. chairman wyden has asked harlan crow for a tax information. there is a tech slim, it $17,000 of which you can give to somebody without paying a gift tax on it. these were gives much bigger than $17,000. it's not clear how much gift tax payments were made. there are a number of issues around this we're gonna be pursuing. incl

i say the judicial conference which has received some information from the chief justice, is undergoingts own investigation as i understand. so there are active efforts under way as there should be. we need to change the image of this court at this point it is at the lowest ebb in history. >> are you willing to subpoena leonard leo or harlan crowe? obviously you won't subpoena supreme court justices. >> everything is on the table. >> one of the reasons that you are a little hamstrung is because your colleague dianne feinstein democrat of california is still out sick. senator schumer's office says she told him she is returning this week. her office has not confirm that. as you know senator feinstein has missed dozens of key votes. leaving all the rest in limbo. questions about her ability to perform her job were being raised years before her recent bout with shingles which we obviously hope she recovers from soon. at what point do the tens of millions of voters currently lacking full representation in the senate from california, at what point do they matter more than the feelings of a co

the downtown atlanta courthouse will apparently be away during the first week of august for a judicial conference. but willis is asking those judges not to schedule any trials during the two weeks after that conference, the week starting on monday, august 7th and monday, august 14th. why could that be? office staff, stay home. judges, stay home. law enforcement, get ready. in other words, fani willis is planning to announce something so big between the end of july in the first three weeks of august, that it poses a significant security threat to a significant number of people. willis's office has been investigating trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in georgia for more than two years now. and two days ago, we learn that yet another one of trump's lawyers may be a target in that investigation. that followed reports that at least nine of trump's 16 fake electors from georgia have been granted immunity in the investigation and they are cooperating with prosecutors. the rest of those fake electors, including the chairman of the republican party of georgia -- they presumably re

that question was referred to the financial disclosure committee of the judicial conference, and it'so it back in 2011. and that matters a lot because this matter has got referred to the same committee. so it is a matter both of oversight of this time, an inquiry into what happened last time. the second thing is to look at the array of groups, and individuals around these gifts, the billiard millionaire funded apparatus, behind these payments to try to pull together a better understanding of what was the mechanism, and what was the motive of directing these payments to justice thomas. >> now obviously the chief justice declined to appear, but are you considering calling harlan crow or leonard leo to testify? >> we are supported not only in the judiciary community, but also the finance committee where i also sit. -- has asked harlan crow for tax information. there's a tax limit, $17,000 of what you can give to somebody without paying a gift tax on it, these were gifts much bigger than $17, 000, it is not cleared if they give tax was paid. there are a number of issues around this that w

so you know that will change in in part because the judicial conferences recently clear that those things should should be documented on annual financial disclosure reports. but you know the justices answer to no one as the chief justice has said, they are different from political branches in that they are appointed for life. and the only way to get rid of them is through impeachment by the us house and by the senate. and that has never happened. so i think the only time as some of the audience remember, are know of in 1969, a fortas was pressured to resign because of some allegations financial irregularities. but that's the only time. only time in more than two centuries. so i think things will continue. you know, the chief is concerned about the appearance of the court, but he can't put out a set of rules or ethics code that will apply to only five of them. and not for others, you know, like you just they have to be. i they are trying be unanimous on something and maybe they will come up with with with some sort of new practices that are formal, you know, just just so your viewers know

the code of ethics the judicial conference hands down that governs lower court judges is advisory whenourt justices. they will say they look at it and confer, make private decisions. ultimately, they make their own calls about whether certain situations call for recusal or it would be improper for them to take a trip sponsored by a wealthy person that is a friend of theirs. if certain situations come to light where they failed to recuse themselves but people on the outside think they should have or they went on a trip with a wealthy donor and people think that should not have happened, there is no process for anybody to call foul. there is no process for anyone to submit a complaint because there is no policing authority. it is different from the system all the lower court judges follow in terms of there being no strict code of conduct they are supposed to follow and no governing authority that can enforce that code of conduct. host: if you would like to call in and ask a question, you can do so now by party affiliation. democrats (202) 748-8000, republicans (202) 748-8001 and independ

criminals who can be reformed. on correction putting the removal and translation of the judicial group in the national conferenceer of a century of crime prevention in the armed forces, preventing the slippage of human forces in the institutions should be comprehensive. a quarter of a century of crime prevention in the armed forces, the conference that was held this morning. in the past 25 years, the armed forces have carried out 35 programs that have achieved various results. an example of the reduction of common and important crimes in these years is the prevention law approved in 1994. in 1997 , its strategic document was announced through the general staff of the armed forces the judiciary met in this conference he considered the crimes in the armed forces to be sensitive and important, which judges should pay special attention to . dealing with vices without providing a platform for the growth of virtues, whether we succeed or stop completely, the two are together. the chief of general staff of the armed forces said that the scope of crime has increased at this time, but the crime in the armed forces has si

i draw your attention to the eulogizing press conference of the spokesman of the judicial branch , condemnings and several other martyrs from the forces of jan bar kef farasha instead of servants and servants in sistan and baluchistan and ahvaz, and the high position in the eyes of the seven-year-old and for these dear ones. i have confidence in the family and dear people of sabzevar babolsar i promise that the judiciary will put in the clean house of these proud martyrs, the proud martyrs , who have been trampled down and are determined to demand the rights of women and their rights until the blood , and give them their rights. on thursday, the third of april, at 10:00 a.m. washington time, the ceo of tik tok appeared in the united states house of representatives and answered the questions of the representatives . deeply rooted in self-expression the concerns of these representatives are the dominance of china through the parent company tik tok by standing on this emerging social media, the focus of which is its entertaining content for young americans, thus the popularity of the first non-a

thank you and sohrab for legal and judicial by being with the other minutes of the international conference petrochemical industry will work in our neighborhood, mrs. azarbaijan, from the energy level of the radio and television news agency. hello, the reporter is present in the stadium . i will tell you the details of this conference. hello, good morning. hello, the viewers of the program. it was very important in the petrochemical industry in the market that it was not held at the time of corona. here, from the 14th to the 13th period , the transition will take 5 years, and my approach is to complete the added value chain, to complete the added value chain so that people know that crude oil can be settled for oil extraction. and the beneficial gas, which the leader said, we should not turn off and prevent crude sales when we turn it into valuable products, and it will help a lot. the industry is a currency earner. a collection for adults. birk coin collection is held for the first time in the country. this collection and cat is very short. let me tell my dears that this country is the fir

judicial centers of kurdistan province. during the visit of the head of the judiciary to this province, the food at the press conference at theend of the trip to kurdistan province was considered one of the problems of the province. and he said the judiciary for the well-being of the people of kurdistan with the cooperation of departments

the oil press conference, also announced the formation of special branches to support the leaders and said that these nights should be done to the leaders . the spokesperson of the judicial system about the case of martyr al-daghi also informed about the fifth arrest and said that the 18-year-old accused in this case participated in a mass brawl that led to a murder a year and a half ago and was released on bail until the killer is identified. he was released from prison once again by the order of the judicial authority to the center reforms and education are back. the minister of health, medical education announced the removal of the corona vaccine card for foreign trips. mr. ainollahi said that according to the announcement of the world health organization about exiting the state of emergency, foreign travelers do not need to present the corona vaccine card and pcr test. the strategic jet is leaving, people in other countries can easily refer to it, and it is an introduction, but it is still active in the world due to the corona virus, it has still been announced that the end has been announced, and they still have instructions to follow , like us, we recommend that i

participated in these conferences and specialized round tables with political , security, defense, economic, commercial, administrative, scientific, cultural, social , legal, judicial, as well as infrastructure and production issues. oran, a knowledge-based company in north khorasan , succeeded without using according to the announcement of the ministry of steel production, most of the country's steel products are located in the region, and this method can greatly help in saving water. it was launched by the capable young people of north khorasan due to the need for water and steel industries , the consumption method is very high , the method of consumption depends on the travel arrangements of mamosta province . you can see here, mother, we launched this big unit in 6 months and the production of this company's products is between 85 and 100 tons per month for the benefit of our province. this company has been able to create jobs for 15 people directly and 20 people indirectly. i am very happy. also , i don't know the factory in the province for work next year and the family too i am happy that the raw materials of this company are something that the steel industr

conference in berlin, germany, they demanded the adoption of ministerial and organizational measures to prevent the importation of manufactured products from zionist settlements and the export of goods to these settlements. the american judicial system sentenced an election protester to 18 years in prison. stewart rhodes was sentenced for the crime of participating in the protests two years before the american elections, he was convicted of creating chaos and trying to overthrow the government . during these protests, a number of protesters entered the congress , but stewart rhodes did not enter the congress building. in the court, he denied some accusations. he is a political prisoner and his only crime was to oppose those who wanted to destroy his country. another us election protester was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. he was accused of putting his foot on the table of the president of the us house of representatives after entering the congress . in the last two years, another of the protesters has been sentenced to prison. trump moved some of the documents that he kept at home before the arrival of the agents . the washington post reported that the former american president had the intention of usually dece

political and judicial independence to a terrorist group, or if he will have a fairer trial in the appeals court, mohammad reza sohrabi, sedav sima news agency, the national whole bread movement conference was held in central province, a movement in which some bakeries in the province cook different types of bread called full bread . he changed the whole bread and said nahadat reviving the name of dan kamel is a serious demand and for the development of the correct eating style in the country, it is a national duty to revive the power of kamel bread that some bakeries in the central province offer to the people, different from the past, with the quality of iranians, which i like you very much. by using 100% of the components of wheat grain, it is obtained, it is perfect for diabetics, for blood pressure, for those who suffer from fatty liver , and now with the holding of this conference , the beneficial experience of whole bread has become more common. we are mentioning the development of many bakeries and squares prominent chefs of the province joined this plan. the head of the commission for agriculture , natural resources and environmental protection of the islamic council also welco