Big Law’s Big Capitulation; The Bulwark, March 21, 2025

WILLIAM KRISTOL, 

ANDREW EGGER, AND 

JIM SWIFT

, The Bulwark ; Big Law’s Big Capitulation

"In November 2024, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP was recognized by Bloomberg Law in a special report on “Pro Bono Innovators” as a law firm “going above and beyond in delivering pro bono services.”

Yesterday Paul Weiss lived up to this praise. It went above and beyond in delivering pro bono services. The firm will be dedicating, according to the president of the United States, “the equivalent of $40 million in pro bono legal services over the course of President Trump’s term to support the Administration’s initiatives.”

After all, President Trump only has the entire federal government at his disposal to support his initiatives. He needs and deserves the help of Paul Weiss. As the firm explains on its website, “Throughout our firm’s history, we have maintained an unwavering commitment to providing pro bono legal assistance to the most vulnerable members of our society and in support of the public interest.” How could it not step up and chip in to help this vulnerable man, Donald Trump?

The answer, of course, is that the firm could have simply said “no.” It could have refused to be extorted by the president of the United States and contested his March 14 executive order in a court of law.

But it chose capitulation. And then it couched that capitulation under the umbrella of doing “pro bono” work, as if this was a collective agreement to pursue the public interest and not the end product of a shakedown.

I won’t dilate on the details of this capitulation by Paul Weiss. You can read the New York Times’s account if you want to be depressed."

Ethisphere Names U. S. Steel One of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® for the Fourth Consecutive Year; BusinessWire, March 11, 2025

BusinessWire; Ethisphere Names U. S. Steel One of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® for the Fourth Consecutive Year

"Integral to U. S. Steel’s ethical culture are its S.T.E.E.L. Principles, an extension of what is widely believed to be the first-ever corporate code of ethics developed more than a century ago by company co-founder Judge Elbert Gary.

“Our S.T.E.E.L. Principles are foundational to the unequivocal ethics we display in our daily business activities and across our organization at every level,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of U. S. Steel, David B. Burritt. “That Ethisphere has once again recognized U. S. Steel as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® reinforces our reputation as a corporation dedicated to promoting a strong ethical culture that builds value for everyone.”"

Ohio’s J.D. Vance rebuked by the Pope, denounced by NATO allies, ridiculed for bizarre rant; Ohio Capital Journal, February 25, 2025

Marilou Johanek, Ohio Capital Journal ; Ohio’s J.D. Vance rebuked by the Pope, denounced by NATO allies, ridiculed for bizarre rant

"For a supposed Ivy League intellectual, Vance sure spouts stupidity on the regular: Honestly, you’ve got to be really off base on Catholic theology for the Vatican to correct your twisted take on love with descending priorities as justification for mass deportations. In Vance’s godawful reading of the Christian order of love concept; (to mesh with his political ideology) family, community, and country come first and everyone outside that concentric circle later or not so much. Which puts migrant families outermost from Vance’s construct on brotherly love for me but not thee from outside our borders. 

Francis rejected the VP’s sophomoric theoretical defense of cruel immigration crackdowns as flatly wrong. He urged the misguided millennial to meditate on the parable of the Good Samaritan, “on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.” But “American citizens first” nativist Vance has no interest in building a “fraternity open to all,” just an all-white patriarchy focused on baby-making. To that point, he started a holy war (barely a week after inauguration) against charitable organizations across the country that feed, clothe and house refugees and immigrants (i.e., Catholic Charities and Catholic relief groups) by implying they perform their labor of love for federal money — not humanitarian concerns. 

“Devout Catholic” convert Vance went all glib and combative on compassion and care for the “least of these” because they included Brown and Black mothers and fathers and children fleeing horrendous homelands for hope. But upholding the dignity of every human being (native-born or not) as a core tenet of Christianity clashes with the core MAGA mission to degrade, shackle and ship terrified families back to the foreign hellscapes they fled. Vance threw nasty and mean into the mix to look tough on dehumanized “illegals” and scorn mercy. He is a dutiful, if not decent, Trump toady. 

But the swift rebuttals to Vance’s hollow broadsides from the Church and the pope himself only reinforced the veep’s smallness as a smug sycophant slinging ugly. Whatever reputation Vance may have enjoyed in the past as a thoughtful individual with at least a modicum of integrity is long gone. With a brief stint as a venture capitalist, an even briefer stint as Ohio senator and now VP, Vance is heady with power and hubris over his meteoric rise from bending the knee to a man he once derided as “America’s Hitler.” Then Vance went to the Munich Security Conference recently, not to collaborate with NATO allies on mutual security interests and Ukraine, but to turn on them."

‘Black mark’: Lawmakers seethe over Ethics’ Gaetz report imbroglio; Politico, November 20, 2024

JORDAIN CARNEY, NICHOLAS WU, DANIELLA DIAZ and OLIVIA BEAVERS, Politico ; ‘Black mark’: Lawmakers seethe over Ethics’ Gaetz report imbroglio

"Matt Gaetz is plunging the House into chaos, again.

Members of the House Ethics Committee deadlocked over whether to release the findings of an investigation into the former Florida lawmaker, who is Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general. The inaction is triggering outrage among Democrats, who argue the committee is dragging out the process, while Republicans remain furious that Gaetz put them in this position...

The havoc is the latest illustration of how Trump’s looming return to Washington is shaking the foundations of Capitol Hill and forcing Republican lawmakers to make a series of immediate, high-stakes calls about the integrity of the legislative branch."

Wes Moore and the Bronze Star He Claimed but Never Received; The New York Times, August 29, 2024

 Reid J. Epstein, The New York Times; Wes Moore and the Bronze Star He Claimed but Never Received

"Doug Sterner, a military historian and Vietnam veteran considered to be a leading researcher on military service claims, said that minor exaggerations about military service were common, but that imprecision about awards was more serious.

“Every veteran — I mean every veteran, even if they won’t admit it — has told a war story or embellished a little bit, but usually not about awards,” said Mr. Sterner, who helped draft the original version of the Stolen Valor Act, a law that criminalizes some false claims of military accomplishments, though not such assertions about a Bronze Star. “When you start embellishing about awards, then it becomes a problem.”"

Dujardin’s career in tatters after horse whipping costs her damehood and funding; The Guardian, July 24, 2024

Sean Ingle , The Guardian; Dujardin’s career in tatters after horse whipping costs her damehood and funding

"The video of the Team GB ­equestrian star Charlotte Dujardin ­whipping a horse 24 times in a private ­coaching session has cost her a damehood, ­official sources have told the Guardian.

Dujardin was widely expected to be handed the honour if she won another dressage medal in Paris. That would give the 39-year-old seven ­medals, moving one ahead of Laura Kenny to become Britain’s most decorated female Olympian in her own right. However, Whitehall sources have confirmed that any such honour is off the table.

Dujardin now finds her career in tatters after being kicked out of the Olympics and suspended for six months. To compound her ­problems, UK Sport has also suspended her lottery funding after the video of her ­hitting the horse became public.

In a statement, UK Sport said it was “disturbed by the serious concerns that have been raised in the past 24 hours regarding horse welfare and Charlotte Dujardin. We expect all staff and athletes in Olympic and ­Paralympic sport to adhere to the highest standards of behaviour, ­ethics and integrity.”

THE GREAT PRETENDERS; Toronto Life, February 14, 2024

SARAH TRELEAVEN, Toronto Life; THE GREAT PRETENDERS

"The “pretendian” phenomenon in Canada can be traced back to at least the 1930s, when Archibald Stansfeld Belaney donned leathers, renamed himself Grey Owl and began telling people his mother was Apache. He used his new identity to amass fame and fortune as an Indigenous author and conservationist. But the term itself didn’t gain traction in Canada until late 2016, when Indigenous journalists started pointing out the inconsistencies in bestselling author Joseph Boyden’s proclaimed Indigenous roots. Today, it’s used to broadly describe fakers who claim to be Indigenous but aren’t. (Some Inuit also use the term “pretenduit” as a way to address the specific co-opting of their heritage and culture.)

The list of high-profile Canadians busted for faking Indigenous identities has grown alarmingly long in recent years and includes academics, judges, professors and cultural icons. In October 2021, a CBC investigation revealed that Carrie Bourassa, a University of Saskatchewan professor, had falsely claimed to be Métis, Anishinaabe and Tlingit. In 2022, media raised questions about former judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond’s purported Cree ancestry; she has maintained her ­Indigeneity but later lost her Order of Canada, among other awards. Last year, Memorial University removed Vianne Timmons from her role as the school’s president after a CBC report challenged her claims of Mi’kmaw heritage. And in one of the most explosive revelations to date, The Fifth Estate reported last October that 82-year-old singer and activist Buffy Sainte-Marie had lied about being a Cree survivor of the Sixties Scoop.

The problem is especially prevalent in Canadian academia, where the allure of money and status runs high. Universities have been under pressure to increase Indigenous student admissions—as of 2021, only 13 per cent of Indigenous people of working age had a university degree—and hire more Indigenous faculty. In their rush to boost their numbers, many institutions have overlooked the potential for scammers. Jean Teillet is a recently retired Métis lawyer in Vancouver who has worked on Indigenous-identity fraud cases. In the wake of the Bourassa scandal, the University of Saskatchewan hired Teillet to write a report on Indigenous-identity fraud, complete with recommendations on how to spot it. While some institutions are now introducing mechanisms to confirm membership in a recognized nation, including the presentation of official status documents, Teillet found that, for many applicants, claiming Indigeneity is as easy as ticking off a box. Universities are largely ignorant about the complexities of Indigenous identity, and they’re either too gullible or willfully blind to dubious claims."

‘The situation has become appalling’: fake scientific papers push research credibility to crisis point; The Guardian, February 3, 2024

 Robin McKie, The Guardian; ‘The situation has become appalling’: fake scientific papers push research credibility to crisis point

"Tens of thousands of bogus research papers are being published in journals in an international scandal that is worsening every year, scientists have warned. Medical research is being compromised, drug development hindered and promising academic research jeopardised thanks to a global wave of sham science that is sweeping laboratories and universities.

Last year the annual number of papers retracted by research journals topped 10,000 for the first time. Most analysts believe the figure is only the tip of an iceberg of scientific fraud."

Testing Ethical Boundaries. The New York Times Sues Microsoft And OpenAI On Copyright Concerns; Forbes, December 29, 2023

 Cindy Gordon, Forbes; Testing Ethical Boundaries. The New York Times Sues Microsoft And OpenAI On Copyright Concerns

"We have at least seen Apple announce an ethical approach to discussing upfront with the US Media giants their interest in partnering on AI generative AI training needs and finding new revenue sharing models.

Smart Move by Apple...

The court’s rulings here will be critical to advance ethical AI practices and guard rails on what is “fair” versus predatory.

We have too many leadership behaviors that encroach on others Intellectual Property (IP) and try to mask or muddy the authenticity of communication and sources of origination of ideas and content.

I for one will be following these cases closely and this also sends a wake -up call to all technology titans, and technology industry leaders that respect, integrity and transparency on operating practices need an ethical overhauling.

One of the important leadership behaviors is risk management and looking at all stakeholder views and appreciating the risks that can be incurred. I am keen to see how Apple approaches these dynamics to build a stronger ethical brand profile."

Where Clarence Thomas Entered an Elite Circle and Opened a Door to the Court; The New York Times, July 9, 2023

 Abbie VanSickle and Steve Eder, The New York Times; Where Clarence Thomas Entered an Elite Circle and Opened a Door to the Court

"In recent months, Justice Thomas has faced scrutiny over new revelations by ProPublica of his relationship to Harlan Crow, the Texas billionaire, whose largess over more than two decades has included vacations on a superyacht, private school tuition for the great-nephew the justice was raising, and the purchase of his mother’s Savannah, Ga., home. None of this was reported by the justice, and the revelations have renewed calls for tighter Supreme Court ethics rules.

But a look at his tenure at the Horatio Alger Association, based on more than two dozen interviews and a review of public filings and internal documents, shows that Justice Thomas has received benefits — many of them previously unreported — from a broader cohort of wealthy and powerful friends. They have included major donors to conservative causes with broad policy and political interests and much at stake in Supreme Court decisions, even if they were not directly involved in the cases.

Justice Thomas declined to respond to detailed questions from The New York Times."

Coppedge: Do ethics and a moral compass matter?; Longview News-Journal, July 2, 2023

Dr. John Coppedge , Longview News-Journal; Coppedge: Do ethics and a moral compass matter?

[Kip Currier: The Mont Blanc pen part of this article is a jaw-dropping example of ethical decision-making in the moment. (A good defense lawyer could, I suppose, assert that the accused pen purloiner absent-mindedly picked up the pen or mistakenly thought it was his...but this is still a thought-provoking ethics example.)

American philosopher Aldo Leopold famously opined that "ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching -- even when doing the wrong thing is legal."

In this instance, someone was watching: albeit a surveillance camera.]

"If you came upon an expensive fountain pen someone left on a security tray at your local courthouse, you would be confronted by an ethical dilemma. Would you have a duty to turn it in? Or would you pocket the pen for your personal use?

That was the ethical question confronting then state Sen. Ken Paxton (the recently impeached Texas attorney general) at the Collin County Courthouse. The item in question was a Mont Blanc pen. He chose to keep it.

Backing up a bit, the person to whom the pen belonged was local attorney Joe Joplin. The pen had been a gift from his wife.

Mont Blanc pens are a status symbol, prized by many. On the Mont Blanc website, they are advertised for between $380 and $168,000, with the average price approaching $1,000. It is inconceivable to this author that someone could pick up any Mont Blanc pen and not realize it is something special, desirable and valuable.

Immediately after his hearing, Joplin, who inadvertently left the pen at the security checkpoint, rushed back to inquire if it was still there. It was gone.

Joplin then contacted Collin County Sheriff Terry Box and asked him to look at the security video recording. He did and recognized that the person coming through the security portal after Joplin and taking the pen was Ken Paxton. 

Sheriff Box had one of his deputies call Paxton saying that he was seen on security video taking the pen. Paxton admitted he had taken it. Res ipso loquitur*.

People can decide for themselves about Ken Paxton’s ethics and moral compass, or lack thereof...

Carl Sandburg is quoted as saying: “If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell."...

* "Res ipso loquitur" is a Latin term meaning the thing speaks for itself."

Recognize Those Who Inspire Others to Uphold Ethical Principles; IEEE Spectrum, April 26, 2023

 SHERRY LINDBAK, IEEE Spectrum; Recognize Those Who Inspire Others to Uphold Ethical Principles 

"Do you know someone who has risen above others in demonstrating high standards of ethics and integrity? Or do you belong to an organization that has inspired others to share a vision of extraordinary ethical principles and practices? If so, IEEE wants to honor and celebrate their contributions.

The IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee is now accepting nominations for this year’s IEEE Award for Distinguished Ethical Practices. The annual award recognizes an IEEE member, or an organization employing IEEE members, for exemplary ethical behavior or persuasive advocacy of ethical practices.

Nominators will be asked to explain:

• What situation was happening (or not happening) that caused the nominee to believe it was unethical?
• In what ways did the nominee demonstrate ethical leadership, courage, innovation, or honor to make the situation better?
• What was the overall impact of the nominee’s actions?

The deadline for nominations is 31 May. The recipient will be announced in November.

For more information, including eligibility requirements, and to access the nomination form, visit the EMCC-Award web page or write to ethics@ieee.org."

‘Do you have no shame?’: Tulsi Gabbard grills congressman-elect George Santos; The Guardian, December 28, 2022

Samira Asma-Sadeque, The Guardian; ‘Do you have no shame?’: Tulsi Gabbard grills congressman-elect George Santos

"Santos, who has also admitted to lying about graduating from Baruch College and working at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, said he was not “a fake” and that “everybody wants to nitpick” at him now.

But Gabbard put Santos on the spot by asking him how he defines “integrity”."

Editorial: A code of ethics could help the Supreme Court maintain integrity; Chicago Tribune, May 23, 2022

The Editorial Board , Chicago Tribune; Editorial: A code of ethics could help the Supreme Court maintain integrity

"That integrity can be strengthened if the Supreme Court adopted a code of ethics that would help justices navigate potential instances of undue influence and other judicial tripwires.

Like umpires, the Supreme Court may not be infallible in our democracy but its judgments are final. If justices cannot display independence from outside influences, then perhaps a code of ethics can restore the confidence and trust in the body that as begun to wane among an increasing number of Americans."

Scientific Integrity and the Ethics of 'Utter Honesty'; The MIT Press Reader, April 2022

Robert T. Pennock, The MIT Press Reader ; Scientific Integrity and the Ethics of 'Utter Honesty'

"Integrity in science involves a community of practice, unified by its shared values."

Atmospheric scientist loses honor, membership over ethics violation; The Washington Post, April 8, 2022

Kay Nolan, The Washington Post; Atmospheric scientist loses honor, membership over ethics violation

American Meteorological Society expels physicist Timothy Dunkerton after offensive tweet as professional science groups grapple with how to confront harassment, discrimination

"The Post obtained a copy of an email sent privately by AMS Associate Executive Director Stephanie Armstrong to society members who had filed a formal complaint about the physicist’s behavior.

That email names Dunkerton and says he “violated two components of the AMS Code of Conduct: 1) Members shall carry out their activities with integrity and the highest ethical standards. 2) Members must treat all individuals with respect. Members must refrain from all forms of discrimination, harassment, and bullying in their professional encounters.”...

Erika Marín-Spiotta, a University of Wisconsin geography professor who holds “bystander training” workshops — which teach people ways to intervene when they see harassment or bullying — stressed the importance of disclosing incidents of misconduct to the broader community.

It “is important so that the community is aware that these behaviors are happening, they are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” she said.

Oltman-Shay, Dunkerton’s former boss, said this week: “I applaud the AMS for continuing to review their code of ethics. … It’s my hope that this will become an example to serve as caution to those who bully.”"

MapLab: The Case for a Cartographer’s Code of Ethics; Bloomberg, March 9, 2022

Marie Patino, Bloomberg ; MapLab: The Case for a Cartographer’s Code of Ethics

"In 2017, Kent spearheaded the drafting of the first and only known professional code of cartography ethics for the British Cartographic Society (BCS) while he was the president of the organization. The code upholds five principles: Honesty, integrity, competence, respect and responsibility. It also warns of potential sanctions that can be taken against members if they don’t follow these principles, including being banned from the BCS — though Kent says this hasn’t happened yet.

“There’s an increased sense of responsibility that goes with the idea of mapmaking.” Kent says. “I think cartographers have for too long not really grasped the idea that what they’re doing has immense power to change the way how people see the world.”

Now, momentum for ethical guidelines may be picking up...

Buckley, who created a user group at Esri to discuss best practices and ideas for mapmaking ethics, is planning ethics discussions at other map gatherings this year. “Having good examples, I think, is what we need to move towards next,” Buckley said. “After we come up with a code of ethics, the statements have to be supported by resources that people can look at to understand how to enact ethical practices.”"

Legal Scholars Push For Supreme Court Ethics Code As Gorsuch And Thomas Come Under Fire; Forbes, February 4, 2022

 Alison Durkee, Forbes; Legal Scholars Push For Supreme Court Ethics Code As Gorsuch And Thomas Come Under Fire

"More than two dozen legal ethics scholars asked Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Thursday to impose a code of conduct for the court’s judges, as the conservative-leaning court faces declining public trust and Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas spark new ethics concerns...

A code of conduct would help the Supreme Court “transparently address potential conflicts and other issues in a way that builds public trust in the institution,” the 25 scholars wrote in their letter to Roberts, which was released through activist group Fix the Court.

The scholars said their request wasn’t in response to any particular concern, and they “do not question the integrity of any justice,” but it comes amid concern about ethical conflicts.

Gorsuch will speak Friday evening at a conference in Walt Disney World for the conservative Federalist Society, drawing criticism because of the event’s overt political nature—other speakers include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vice President Mike Pence and Trump White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany—and because it’s closed to the press."

THE BANGALORE PRINCIPLES OF JUDICIAL CONDUCT; The Judicial Integrity Group

The Judicial Integrity Group , THE BANGALORE PRINCIPLES OF JUDICIAL CONDUCT

"THE BANGALORE PRINCIPLES OF JUDICIAL CONDUCT

The Bangalore Principles are intended to establish standards for ethical conduct of judges. They are designed to provide guidance to judges and to offer the judiciary a framework for regulating judicial conduct. Six core values are recognized: Independence, impartiality, integrity, propriety, equality and finally competence and diligence. The Principles define their meaning and elaborate in detail on what kind of conduct is to be expected in concrete terms of the persons concerned in order to put the respective value into practice. A number of specific instructions are given under each of the values. Not only have some States adopted the Bangalore Principles but others have modelled their own Principles of Judicial Conduct on them. International organisations have also looked at it with favour and given it their endorsement. The United Nations Social and Economic Council, by resolution 2006/ 23, has invited member States consistent with their domestic legal systems to encourage their judiciaries to take into consideration the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct when reviewing or developing rules with respect to the professional and ethical conduct of the members of the judiciary. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has actively supported it and it has also received recognition from bodies such as the American Bar Association and the International Commission of Jurists. The judges of the member States of the Council of Europe have also given it their favourable consideration."

Judges vote unanimously to adopt new conduct and ethics guidelines; The Irish Times, February 4, 2022

Mary Carolan, The Irish Times; Judges vote unanimously to adopt new conduct and ethics guidelines

"Judges have voted to adopt new conduct and ethics guidelines which will be the framework for the first judicial misconduct complaints procedure here. 

At a remote meeting on Friday of the 167 member Judicial Council, the guidelines were unanimously supported by the participants. The guidelines were circulated to the judiciary last month. 

In a foreword to the judges, Chief Justice Mr Justice Donal O’Donnell recommended their adoption. He said public confidence in the justice system “depends on the integrity and authority of the judiciary”. 

As well as promoting the “highest standards” of judicial behaviour, the guidelines will also provide a framework for the conduct review function of the council, he said. 

Prepared by the council’s Judicial Conduct Committee (JCC), the guidelines are based on international principles known as the Bangalore Principles, aimed at ensuring judicial independence, impartiality, integrity, propriety and the appearance of propriety, competence and diligence and equal treatment of all who come before the courts.

They are intended to guide judges as to their conduct and to form the framework for a detailed judicial misconduct complaints procedure which, under the Judicial Council Act 2019, must be operable by June 28th next."