THE United States plummeted down an index released today that serves as a barometer of public-sector corruption worldwide.

The US dropped from 69 points to 65 and from 24th place to 28th on the Transparency International (TI) annual Corruption Perceptions Index. 

TI pointed to criticism of the US judicial branch. It noted that the US Supreme Court adopted its first code of ethics in 2023, “but serious questions remain about the lack of meaningful, objective enforcement mechanisms and the strength of the new rules themselves.”