irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2025
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $84KRESEARCH: FIX THE COURT CONDUCTED RESEARCH INTO SUPREME COURT JUSTICES AND LOWER COURT FEDERAL JUDGES' TRAVEL, FINANCES, FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS, AND OUT-OF-COURT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE ACTIVITIES COULD AFFECT THEIR COMPLIANCE OR NONCOMPLIANCE WITH JUDICIAL ETHICS CODES. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO CONDUCTED RESEARCH ON THE PHENOMENON WHERE FEDERAL JUDGES ARE NOT RECUSING IN SOME CASES INVOLVING THEIR OUTSIDE EMPLOYER, TYPICALLY A LOCAL LAW SCHOOL WHERE THEY SERVE AS AN ADJUNCT. THE ORGANIZATION LOCATED AND REVIEWED THE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES OF THE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES, LOWER FEDERAL JUDGES, AND STATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES AND REVIEWED THEM ACROSS VARIOUS ACCOUNTABILITY METRICS, WHILE ENSURING THAT NO PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION, WHICH COULD LEAD TO THREATS OR WORSE, WAS INCLUDED. WE RESEARCHED THE JUSTICES' FINANCIAL HOLDINGS IN LIGHT OF A NEW RULE AT THE SUPREME COURT REQUIRING PARTIES THAT ARE PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES OR THEIR SUBSIDIARIES TO LIST THEIR TICKER SYMBOL IN THEIR FILINGS.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Code of Ethics Initiative
Advocates for a binding, enforceable code of ethics for Supreme Court justices, consistent with standards for other federal judges.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Litigation
Files FOIA lawsuits to obtain government records on justices' travel, appearances, and financial disclosures, often in partnership with legal counsel.
Media and Public Access Campaign
Pushes for live audio and video broadcasting of Supreme Court oral arguments and opinion announcements to improve public transparency.
Research on Judicial Ethics and Disclosures
Investigates Supreme Court and federal judges' financial disclosures, travel, gifts, speaking engagements, and potential conflicts of interest to assess compliance with ethics rules.
Supreme Court Term Limits Advocacy
Advocates for 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices to reduce politicization of appointments and ensure regular, predictable turnover.
activities · 2 groups
What they do
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Constitutional and Government Accountability Litigation 3 activities
- Advocate for Supreme Court ethics and transparency reformsAdvocates for specific reforms to increase transparency and accountability in the U.S. Supreme Court, including term limits, a binding Code of Conduct, stronger recusal rules, public disclosure of outside appearances, and comprehensive online access to financial disclosures and court records. Supports legislation to protect judges from doxxing and improve financial disclosure standards for state judges.
- Conduct research on judicial ethics and financial disclosuresConducts and publishes in-depth research analyzing Supreme Court justices' financial disclosure reports, including income from royalties, gifts, investments, and teaching; maintains a public tally of justices' out-of-court appearances; and compiles evidence of ethical oversights such as omissions in disclosures and rulings amid conflicts of interest. Research also assesses compliance with ethics codes through analysis of travel, family relationships, speaking engagements, and recusal practices.
- File FOIA lawsuits and obtain judicial recordsFiles Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits to obtain government records related to the federal judiciary, including documents from the Department of State and the Supreme Court, and publicizes findings related to justices' public activities and ethics vetting.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Host and co-sponsor judicial transparency eventsCo-hosts events with legal organizations such as the Federalist Society and the American Constitution Society at law schools to promote judicial transparency and accountability, and organizes public events highlighting threats to state court judges.
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financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$201K
Contributions & grants$201K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$263K
Program expenses80%
Admin / overhead8%
Fundraising11%
Salaries & benefits$189K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$34K
Cash$34K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$34K
Liquid reserves1.5 mo
5 years on record · 2021–2025 · YoY revenue -28.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| GABRIEL ROTH | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $175K |
board members · 3
- JOSHUA COHEN — BOARD PRESIDENT
- MICHELLE KUPPERSMITH — BOARD VICE PRESIDENT
- REBECCA ROSENFELD — BOARD SECRETARY/TREASURER
relationships · 11
Who they work with
- American Bar Association Partner — Called on the ABA to assist in improving financial disclosure standards for judges.
- American Constitution Society Partner — Co-hosts law school events with Fix the Court to promote judicial transparency.
- David Sobel Partner — Serves as FOIA attorney, representing Fix the Court in Freedom of Information Act litigation.
- Executive Branch Officials Government — References ethics standards of top executive branch officials as a benchmark for judicial reform.
- Federalist Society Partner — Co-hosts law school events with Fix the Court to promote judicial transparency.
- House of Representatives Government — FTC-endorsed Supreme Court term limits bill introduced in the House.
- Supreme Court of the United States Government — Subject of advocacy and public scrutiny regarding transparency and public appearances.
- Supreme Court of the United States Government — Subject of advocacy regarding judicial ethics and recusal transparency.
- U.S. Department of Justice Government — Enforces restrictions on public demonstration at the Supreme Court plaza.
- U.S. Marshals Service Government — Obtained records from the U.S. Marshals Service regarding Justice Scalia's final trip and justices' travel.
- United States Congress Government — Collaborates with congressional allies to improve transparency in judicial financial disclosures.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Accountability Through Gap Analysismethodology: advocacy-through-gap-analysisBy identifying discrepancies between existing judicial ethics standards and those of other branches of government, we create a rationale for reform because normative alignment strengthens public trust and exposes accountability deficits.
- Bipartisan Norm-Buildingmethodology: bipartisan_collaborationBy collaborating with ideologically diverse organizations, we advance judicial transparency and ethics reforms because shared legitimacy across the political spectrum increases the durability and perceived fairness of institutional changes.
- Institutional Reform Through Structural Changemethodology: term-limitsBy advocating for term limits and ethics rule enforcement, we reduce the politicization of the Supreme Court and enhance judicial accountability because predictable transitions and enforceable standards diminish lifetime appointment distortions and incentivize integrity.
- Transparency Through Exposuremethodology: transparency-through-foiaBy uncovering and publicizing non-public information about justices’ finances, travel, and recusal decisions through FOIA requests and investigative research, we increase public pressure for accountability because visibility erodes institutional resistance and enables informed civic engagement.