Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are asking Supreme Court Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to come testify before the panel about Supreme Court ethics.
Sen. Richard Durbin, Illinois Democrat, sent a letter to Justice Roberts on Thursday, asking him — or another justice he designates — to join in the discussion.
The letter notes a justice hasn’t testified on the subject since October 2011.
“Your last significant discussion of how Supreme Court justices address ethical issues was presented in your 2011 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary. Since then, there has been a steady stream of revelations regarding justices falling short of the ethical standards expected of other federal judges and, indeed, of public servants generally,” Mr. Durbin said in his letter.
“These problems were already apparent back in 2011, and the court’s decadelong failure to address them has contributed to a crisis of public confidence. The status quo is no longer tenable,” Mr. Durbin said.
The same committee sent Justice Roberts a letter last week asking him to probe Justice Clarence Thomas’ gifts and travel after a report was published by ProPublica that he accepted lavish trips from GOP donor Harlan Crow.
Justice Thomas was forced to defend his more than 25-year relationship with Mr. Crow, saying the court signed off on their families’ vacations together.
“Harlan and Kathy Crow are among our dearest friends, and we have been friends for over 25 years. As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than a quarter-century we have known them,” Justice Thomas said in a statement released Friday by the Supreme Court.
He added, “Early in my tenure at the court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the court, was not reportable.”
In March, the Judicial Conference adopted new rules requiring federal judges — including Supreme Court justices — to disclose gifts and trips paid for by third parties. It’s a move to tighten disclosure requirements for the federal judiciary.
The ProPublica article said Justice Thomas failed to disclose his past luxury vacations, including a trip to Indonesia that cost an estimated $500,000.
The allegations prompted liberals to issue renewed calls for Justice Thomas to resign. He has been a top target of the left since his confirmation hearings in 1991.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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