Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has rebuffed calls to recuse himself from a major looming decision.
A coalition of liberal groups asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to look into Alito’s involvement in the case, which involves energy companies ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy as they look to throw out a Colorado lawsuit seeking damages for harms related to climate change. The left-leaning groups cite Alito’s stock holdings in energy companies as the reason he should recuse himself.
But Alito, 76, is ignoring these calls, with a court spokesperson saying “Alito does not have a financial interest in any party” involved in the case, and that his counsel has advised that “his recusal is not required.”
While Alito, a George W. Bush appointee, does not own stock in ExxonMobil or Suncor Energy, he did hold stock in oil companies ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66 and several energy firms, according to his most recent financial disclosure report, which was filed last year.
The liberal groups have accused Alito of “undermining public confidence in the impartiality of the court.”
“His irregular recusal practice in oil and gas industry-related cases is undermining public confidence in the impartiality of the Court. They could not occur were he compelled to adhere to enforceable ethics standards against adjudicating cases where he has financial interests or the appearance of a conflict of interest where his impartiality might reasonably be questioned,” the groups wrote.
Under Supreme Court ethics guidelines, justices do not have to recuse themselves from cases unless they have a direct conflict of interest, like stock ownership or a personal relationship with one of the parties.
But the letter sent by the liberal groups argues that justices should still rescue themselves if their “impartiality might reasonably be questioned” by an “unbiased and reasonable person who is aware of all relevant circumstances.”
The high court is expected to hear arguments for the case in the court’s next term, which starts in October.
