U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy is drafting a bill that he says would bring greater transparency to the Supreme Court by requiring justices to state why they have recused themselves from a case.
The measure would also apply the same code of conduct that applies to all federal judges to the Supreme Court justices.
Murphy says the legislation will end conflicts of interest at the nation's highest court. The Democrat from Connecticut's 5th District said he was motivated by reports that Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia attended a conference with the Koch brothers, wealthy conservative businessmen, while a case that the brothers stood to benefit from was before the court.
That case, Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, overturned longstanding campaign finance restrictions and loosened the rules on political contributions by businesses and labor unions.