- Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh went to a holiday party at the home of Matt Schlapp Friday night.
- Schlapp is the chairman of the influential right-wing group Conservative Political Action Coalition.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh went to a holiday party at the home of Matt Schlapp — the chairman of the influential right-wing group Conservative Political Action Coalition — Friday night, Politico first reported.
Among other attendees at the Christmas party included Stephen Miller, a longtime ally to former President Donald Trump, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Trump's former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, and Rep.-elect George Santos of New York, Politico reported.
The appearance has sparked questions about possible conflicts of interest with a sitting Supreme Court justice attending a private party of right-wing leaders. Miller's conservative group, America First Legal, has filed briefs on cases that are pending before the Supreme Court, according to Bloomberg.
The news also comes as the Supreme Court has come under renewed scrutiny over ethics concerns after The New York Times reported of a potential breach of an opinion in 2014.
Christian evangelical minister Rev. Robert Schenck told The Times and testified before the House Judiciary Committee last week that he gained advance knowledge of the decision in the high-profile Supreme Court case, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores. The 5-4 majority, in an opinion delivered by Justice Samuel Alito, ruled that paying for insurance that covered contraception violated the religious freedoms of privately held, for-profit companies.
Schenck, a former anti-abortion activist, told congressional lawmakers that he had been involved in a decades-long effort to try and influence the thinking of some of the conservative Supreme Court justices.
Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to establish an enforceable code of conduct for the Supreme Court justices. Unlike lower federal judges, the justices are not bound by any code of conduct.
The Supreme Court's public information office did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.