Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2025

Summary

Creates a detailed ethics, recusal, and transparency regime for the Supreme Court and other federal judges. It requires the Supreme Court and Judicial Conference to adopt public Codes of Conduct, sets new disclosure rules for gifts/income and amicus funders, establishes complaint, investigative, and review panels with subpoena power, expands grounds and procedures for judicial disqualification, and mandates recurring audits and reports by the Federal Judicial Center and GAO, with firm deadlines for many actions.

• Requires the Supreme Court and the Judicial Conference to issue and publish Codes of Conduct for Justices and other federal judges within set deadlines.
• Creates a formal complaint, investigative panel, and subpoena authority for alleged misconduct by Supreme Court Justices, with reporting requirements.
• Expands judicial disqualification rules to cover lobbying/support for nominations and recent income/gifts to judges or close household members and private entities tied to them.
• Establishes a new statutory motion-to-disqualify process with review panels and mandatory stays until final determination; remaining Justices decide recusal motions against a Justice.
• Mandates disclosure by parties and amici of gifts, income, reimbursements, lobbying contacts, and amicus funders (including a 3% and $100k disclosure threshold).
• Requires the Administrative Office to audit amicus disclosures annually and the Federal Judicial Center to study compliance with recusal rules on a recurring schedule, with GAO review authority.
• Directs courts to publish public notices and explanations when judges are disqualified, with limited redactions allowed for sensitive information.
• Imposes new administrative duties on the Judiciary (rules, disclosures, audits, reports) and creates potential procedural impacts including stays and increased filings.