GENERAL

How “has SCOTUS become too powerful in recent years?” may be the most illuminating question the senators can ask. LINK

LIFE TENURE

The last time a nominee was asked about SCOTUS term limits was then-Judge Alito in 2006, who responded, “If I had been a delegate to the Constitutional Convention […], I would narrow the range of possibilities down to either life tenure or a long term of years, so that the judiciary would be insulated from being swayed by popular opinion during a particular period.”

So, what have the other justices – as well as elected officials and legal scholars – said recently about ending life tenure at the Supreme Court? LINK

BROADCAST ACCESS

The nominees are always asked the cameras questions. We’re hoping that this time it’s a live audio question given the success of the the Ninth Circuit’s Feb. 7 livestream – and CA10’s antiquated audio policy.

So, what have the justices said about ending the broadcast ban in their courtroom, both as nominees and once they’ve been confirmed? LINK

What are the audio and video policies of Gorsuch’s court and other federal appeals courts? LINK

What does Gorsuch have against Court TV? LINK

(Meantime, two bipartisan bills were introduced in the Senate this past week that would compel the Supreme Court to allow video-recording of oral arguments.)

DISCLOSURES AND ETHICS

Fix the Court filed a FOIA request with the Justice Department in December to obtain Gorsuch documents. We never received them so filed lawsuit against the agency last month. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee uploaded 175,000 pages of material from his DOJ tenure.

So, does that cover it? (Answer: I’m still going through the documents, as looking over 175,000 pages takes time.)

What’s in Gorsuch’s most recent financial disclosure report? LINK

What do members of the House Judiciary Committee, who held a hearing on the judicial transparency last month, think about the lack of openness at SCOTUS? LINK

(Side note: the Administrative Office announced this week that it will release financial disclosures digitally, via thumb drives, for the first time. LINK)

TOP THREE QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY FIX THE COURT’S FANS TO THEIR SENATORS VIA OUR FORM AT JUDGEGORSUCH.COM

– With the average tenure of the justices doubling in recent decades to 27 years, how long do you think is too long to serve on the Supreme Court?

– Do you believe that Supreme Court justices should adhere to the same travel, disclosure, ethics and stock ownership rules that members of Congress and cabinet-level officials must follow?

– Do you support allowing the audio of Supreme Court hearings to be live-streamed on the court’s website?