The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 and 6-2 that race-conscious admission policies of Harvard College and the University of North Carolina violate the Constitution, bringing an end to affirmative action in higher education. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, which could have implications for other areas of the law such as employment and housing. The ruling is a major victory for Students for Fair Admissions, Inc., and could have a major impact on college admissions nationwide.
Posts tagged as “Brian L. Robert”
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling for an investigation into allegations of ethical improprieties against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and for reforms to prevent similar violations in the future. The letter, led by Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), calls for an independent investigative body and an ethics council to provide advice to justices on disclosure requirements, recusal and other ethics issues. The letter comes after reports of Justice Samuel Alito traveling at the expense of another top Republican donor, and is a sign of growing bipartisan concern over ethical issues in the Supreme Court.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has called for the Supreme Court and Chief Justice John Roberts to adopt a binding code of conduct in response to a ProPublica story that revealed Dallas real estate billionaire Harlan Crow had paid tuition for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ grandnephew. Durbin argued that the revelations demonstrate the need for a binding code of conduct, and his call for action has been echoed by other lawmakers. The Supreme Court currently has a code of conduct, but it is not binding.
Senate Judiciary Committee has requested answers from Chief Justice John Roberts regarding the Supreme Court's ethics policies. The letter was in response to a request from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, for Roberts to appear before the committee or designate another justice to appear for a hearing. The senators listed several questions they wanted Roberts to answer, including how the court handles recusals, how it handles complaints of ethical misconduct, and how it ensures that justices are not influenced by outside sources.
Senators Angus King and Lisa Murkowski have introduced the Supreme Court Code of Conduct Act, which would require the Supreme Court to implement a code of conduct and designate an official to review potential conflicts of interest. Chief Justice John Roberts has declined an invitation to testify at a committee hearing on the Supreme Court's ethics rules, but the justices have released a statement stressing their commitment to ethics principles. The bill is an important step in ensuring that the Supreme Court is held to the highest ethical standards.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) has requested documents from Harlan Crow, a Texas billionaire who has donated millions to conservative causes, to investigate whether his gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas violated federal tax law. Chief Justice John Roberts has responded to a request from Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) for Roberts to testify about Thomas’s relationship with Crow by providing a statement of ethics principles and practices to which all current Supreme Court members subscribe. Wyden's letter to Crow requests documents and communications related to the gifts, as well as any records of payments made to Thomas or his wife, to investigate whether the gifts violated federal tax law.
Chief Justice John Roberts has declined an invitation from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin to testify before the committee on May 2, citing judicial independence and separation of powers concerns. The revelations about Justice Thomas' close ties to a billionaire Republican donor have “contributed to a crisis of public confidence” in the nation’s highest bench. Roberts' decision to decline the invitation is likely to add to the controversy surrounding the court and will be met with further action to address the ethical issues raised by the reports on Justice Thomas.
Dick Durbin, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has invited Chief Justice John Roberts to testify on Supreme Court ethics rules in light of reports of Justice Clarence Thomas' undisclosed acceptance of luxury gifts and real estate transactions. Durbin believes Roberts is an articulate and well-schooled man who would do well in responding to senators' questions, and that Thomas' reported conduct would amount to a violation of law if he were a circuit court judge. The hearing is expected to take place in early October.