US Supreme Court adopts new technology to help identify conflicts of interest [View all]

Source: Reuters

February 17, 2026 1:09 PM EST Updated 3 hours ago


WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that it has adopted new software to assist in identifying whether a case poses a potential conflict of interest for the justices, who decide for themselves whether to step aside from participation in cases.

The software, created by the court's information technology office and other court staff, will compare information about lawyers and parties to a dispute to certain information provided by the offices of each of the nine justices, a court spokesperson said in a statement.

These "automated recusal checks" will complement existing procedures carried out by the justices for reviewing potential conflicts, the court said.

The court in 2023 adopted its first formal code of conduct governing the ethical behavior of the justices. Some critics noted the absence of any enforcement mechanism and the authority of the individual justices to decide for themselves whether to recuse, the act of withdrawing from consideration of a case.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-adopts-new-technology-help-identify-conflicts-interest-2026-02-17/