Democratic senator calls Supreme Court "brazenly corrupt"

• Justice Clarence Thomas has been scrutinized for failing to report luxury trips gifted to him by GOP megadonor Harlan Crow and his wife's involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
• Justice Samuel Alito has been under fire for two flags with connections to the "Stop the Steal" movement that were hung outside two of his homes, as well as comments made at a recent event where he was unaware his words were being recorded.

What they're saying: Speaking to CNN anchor Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" Sunday, Murphy was asked about comments President Biden made at a Los Angeles fundraiser on Saturday night.

• "[Biden] said the court has never been as out of kilter as it as it is today. And there are a lot of other remarks along those lines. Is it appropriate for a president to criticize the court like that?" Tapper asked.
• "I think it would be irresponsible for the president not to talk about the fact that this court is becoming brazenly corrupt and brazenly political," Murphy said. "It's up to the American people this election to do something about that."
• Murphy also called on Congress to pass a "code of ethical conduct" for the Supreme Court "before it's too late."

Between the lines: Critics have called for Alito and Thomas to recuse themselves from cases that deal with the 2020 election or Jan. 6 defendants.

• Both justices refused to step away from the cases, and Chief Justice John Roberts declined to meet with Democrats to discuss Alito's flag controversy.
• "I think there's a crisis on the court," Murphy said. "In particular with respect to Justice Alito and Justice Thomas. What Justice Thomas is engaged in is just a grift. He's got a major political player on the outside who absolutely has political and business interests at the court paying off a justice."
• "Justice Alito is openly displaying affiliation with political causes in public."

Go deeper: Axios Explains: Supreme Court justices can be removed, but it's not easy