A U.S. senator making a stand against political corruption urged the U.S. Supreme Court to leave in place a jury’s conviction of two Gov. Chris Christie aides who helped orchestrate the Bridgegate scheme as political retribution to a local mayor.

In a filing made public Wednesday, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse took note of the court’s dramatic narrowing of the definition of political corruption in recent rulings, which he said have prevented the public from holding elected officials accountable. He said the court “should act with modesty and humility when it addresses the rules of political engagement,” and urged the justices to preserve the role of jurors as “referees of corruption, consistent with the founders’ vision.”