The Supreme Court's 2023 code of conduct is not only a lower bar than that of the lower courts—it's unenforceable. "As long as the ethics standards for judges remain lowest at our highest court, there is little way to compel the recusal of justices with conflicts of interest, short of public shame."

Justices Alito and Barrett's vested interests in the oil industry are more widely known, but that doesn't mean their recusals have been reliable. Barrett has failed to recuse from cases involving her father's longtime employer, Shell, since she was appointed to the high court.

Chief Justice Roberts, meanwhile, has enough money invested ($500,001-$1,000,000) in a single fund in which ExxonMobil is its fifth largest holding that even though the fund is more diversified, he makes a real amount of money from that stake.

One key finding: while considering several petitions from oil companies in these climate cases over the past few years, Gorsuch bought and sold shares in energy sector funds that were largely or solely fossil fuel companies like Exxon, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips. He sold them off by end of 2024.

This type of redundancy may cost time and/or money, but its the type of regulation that keeps our runways and airspaces safe. We can't afford an FAA that values efficiency over safety.

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The NTSB said the FAA's failure was "particularly difficult to justify in view of the imminent risk of loss of life from a similar accident." The Board issued an urgent recommendation for the FAA to finally require the visual check.