Senators request Supreme Court travel records… High Court needs better transparency?

Whitehouse and Kennedy request Supreme Court travel records

Two key senators want travel records of Supreme Court justices as part of a broader congressional look at financial disclosure standards for the receipt of gifts, travel and other financial gains by senior government officials.

Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy asked the Justice Department and the U.S. Marshals Service last week for information and documents about the last 10 years of trips for members of the high court.

The Supreme Court Police handles protection for the justices in the Washington metropolitan area. But the justices can request security from the Marshals Service, which is part of the Justice Department, for other domestic travel.

Whitehouse and Kennedy, in a letter sent Friday, asked the Marshals Service for “all documents” related to those trips, the name of the justice who traveled, where the trips were, and the cost to taxpayers.

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Senators ask for 10 years of Supreme Court justices’ travel records

Two Senate Judiciary Committee members are seeking the travel records of Supreme Court justices dating back a decade, claiming the disclosure would improve transparency in the judicial branch.

Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and John Kennedy (R-La.) made the request in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and US Marshals Service Director Donald Washington dated June 4 and made public Tuesday.

The senators have asked for all documentation relating to trips outside Washington by justices since the beginning of 2011. The requests include the names of the justices who took each trip, the dates of each trip, the locations the justices traveled to and the cost of the Marshals Service of providing security for each trip.

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