Legislation
The CLEAN Act
The CLEAN Act will hold members of Congress to the highest ethical standards.
Ethics & Accountability
Public officials should act in all of our interest, not to line their own pockets. Common Cause is fighting to ensure that all of our leaders are held to high ethical standards.
From city councils to the U.S. Congress and the Supreme Court, the people making decisions that affect our lives and our families need to be held to the highest ethical standards. Common Cause works to ensure that those empowered to act on everyone’s behalf disclose their personal finances, uphold the rule of law, and cannot turn their public service into a personal profit scheme.
What We’re Doing
Legislation
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
Government agencies abuse Section 702 by conducting hundreds of thousands of“backdoor” searches for Americans’ private communications every year. Congress must pass real reform with protections for Americans against government abuse.
Campaign
Supreme Court Ethics
Supreme Court Justices make decisions that impact millions of people every year—but they are not held to the same ethical standards as other federal judges.
Take Action
Petition
Tell Congress: No One Is Above the Law
The Supreme Court’s dangerous presidential immunity ruling goes against accountability, the rule of law, and our Constitution.
Congress must pass Rep. Morelle’s constitutional amendment to permanently declare that no American is above the law – not even former presidents – and prohibit presidents from pardoning themselves.
Petition
Tell Congress: Hold SCOTUS Accountable
Congress must take bold action now to pass a strong, binding Supreme Court Code of Conduct and overrule the Court’s disastrous ruling on presidential immunity.
These crucial reforms would ensure that nobody – not presidents, nor judges – is above the law.
Petition
We need a REAL Supreme Court code of conduct
The Supreme Court’s weak, voluntary “code of conduct” falls short of what we need. We demand REAL, enforceable ethics standards now.
Congress must pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act and create the strongest possible code of conduct for our highest court.
Your financial support helps us make an impact by holding power accountable and strengthening democracy.
Updates
Blog Post
Donald Trump Should be Disqualified
Blog Post
Donald Trump: Threatening Courts and Undermining Justice
Former president Donald Trump and his allies targeted the judiciary in the days, weeks and months leading up to the January 6th attack, and their continued attacks on our courts and government institutions could lead to significant threats in the future, according a new report published today by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Common Cause.
Blog Post
Indictment: 8 Times Trump Knew He Lost
"Donald Trump was told repeatedly he lost the 2020 election, including by those inside his circle."
Related Resources
Letter
LETTERS: Justice Thomas’ Alleged Conflicts of Interest
Report
Highlights and Accomplishments From 2022
Report
Highlights and Accomplishments From 2021
Report
Ten Principles for Reforming the Rules of the House of Representatives
The following recommendations to reform the rules of the House of Representatives will do much to restore the capacity, incentives, and capability of representatives to fulfill their roles as legislators.
Press
Press Release
From Corruption to Accountability: Reforming Pay-to-Play Politics in Atlanta
For decades, the city of Atlanta has faced institutionalized corruption, hindering its potential as a cultural, business, and international hub. Common Cause Georgia exposed this corruption through a new report titled “The Atlanta Way: Examining Pay-to-Play."
Press Release
Delayed & Dangerous SCOTUS Ruling Allows Trump to Avoid January 6th Trial Until After the Election
Today, in a ruling that likely comes too late to hold a trial prior to the election, the U.S. Supreme Court in Trump v. United States found that presidents are immune from prosecution for actions within their conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority.
News Clip
HuffPost: How A Diss During A Hearing Led To A Breakthrough Bipartisan Ethics Bill
Aaron Scherb, senior director of legislative affairs at Common Cause, said elements of the bill resembled elements of other bills Common Cause has supported, such as the For the People Act, a sweeping ethics package that Democrats pushed through the House in 2021. (Rather than merely demand disclosure, that bill would require presidents to divest from assets that present conflicts of interest.)
“These are not pulled out of a hat,” Scherb said. “So I think this language, at first glance, seems to be a step in the right...
“These are not pulled out of a hat,” Scherb said. “So I think this language, at first glance, seems to be a step in the right...