O’Connor Cancels Talk to GOP Donors, Cites Ethics

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor canceled plans today to give a private briefing in the Supreme Court to Republican campaign contributors after ethical questions were raised about the session.

O’Connor had been scheduled to address charter members of a political action committee called GOPAC on May 28. Charter members are those who give $10,000 a year to the group.

In a statement, O’Connor said, “I have inquired about the nature of the meeting which I was scheduled to address here at the court on May 28 and I conclude it would be inappropriate for me to address the group here or elsewhere.”

The Washington Post reported today that the scheduled briefing appeared to violate the American Bar Assn.’s code of judicial conduct, which says that a judge “should not . . . make speeches for a political organization,” and should not “solicit funds for . . . a political organization.”

The code is not binding on Supreme Court justices, although it is seen as an ethical guide for all jurists.

GOPAC is a “national grass-roots organization” whose “ultimate goal” is to elect a Republican majority in the House, its chairman, Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), said in a solicitation letter.

O’Connor was not going to receive a fee, but was merely going to give a “private briefing on how the court works” and to answer questions about court procedure, Kay Riddle, GOPAC’s executive director told the Post.