Supreme Court justices and federal judges need not file public disclosure documents when they eat or stay at a personal residence, including those owned by a business entity, a judicial rulemaking body announced on Sept. 23.
The new regulation contrasts with rules the U.S. Judicial Conference issued in March 2023 that mandated greater disclosure of gifts, meals, and trips, making it more difficult to claim an exemption from disclosure on personal hospitality grounds.
When the previous regulation was adopted in 2023, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said it would “make it much harder for justices to travel, dine, hunt or vacation for free at the private resort of a wealthy corporate executive—especially one with business before their court—and avoid disclosing that information to the public.”…