Democratic-backed US Supreme Court ethics bill passed by Senate panel

By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday advanced a bill that would mandate a binding ethics code for the Supreme Court after revelations that some conservative justices failed to disclose luxury trips and real estate transactions, though Republican opposition means it has little chance of becoming law. The Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 along party lines to approve the legislation, which would impose on the top U.S. judicial body new requirements for financial disclosures and for recusal from cases in which a justice may have a conflict of ...