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Wife of Chief Justice Roberts held leadership role, did pro bono work for Feminists for Life

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, new reporting highlighted the extensive anti-abortion work of Jane Roberts’ — wife of Chief Justice Roberts — with Feminists for Life, which filed several anti-abortion amicus briefs with the Supreme Court prior to Roberts’ involvement. In light of the steady string of Supreme Court corruption scandals, Jane Roberts’ anti-abortion work underscores the need for increased transparency for arrangements that could call justices’ impartiality into question.

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It’s reasonable to ask if Jane Roberts’ leadership and pro bono counsel for a right-wing anti-choice group with prior business before the Court is a conflict of interest for a Chief Justice Roberts who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. Every federal judge is bound to an ethics code requiring them to avoid behavior that so much as looks improper — except for Supreme Court justices. Chief Justice Roberts has the power to change that, but so far he hasn’t shown the courage. We need urgent reform to restore public trust in our Court.”

Accountable.US president Kyle Herrig.

Insider highlights:

“Details of Jane Roberts’ past anti-abortion activism are not new; her work with the nonprofit Feminists for Life was reported on during the run-up to her husband’s confirmation in 2005. But amid a recent spate of misconduct allegations against the Supreme Court, the nine justices — as well as their families and spouses — are facing renewed scrutiny over their personal lives and financial dealings.

Questions of conflicts of interest combined with plummeting public trust in the top court have prompted deep dives into the justice’s pasts in recent weeks, as well as growing calls for a Supreme Court code of conduct as the country considers how — and by whom — these powerful justices are influenced.”

“Jane Roberts’ advocacy and public political beliefs ultimately helped convince two conservative legal power players, Leonard Leo and Jay Sekulow, to publicly advocate for John Roberts’ confirmation, according to the Times.”

“‘Ultimately, the Supreme Court is a powerful institution and all-powerful institutions deserve scrutiny,” [Scott Lemieux, a professor of political science at the University of Washington and an expert on the Supreme Court and constitutional law] told Insider.  “It’s not entitled to a fixed level of legitimacy.’”

The news comes on the heels of a growing Supreme Court corruption crisis. Accountable.US has repeatedly called for action in the aftermath of the unprecedented ethics issues undermining the integrity of our nation’s highest court.

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