Justice Samuel Alito has refused to recuse himself from an upcoming tax case involving lawyer David Rivkin, who had interviewed Alito in two articles published in The Wall Street Journal. Sen. Richard Durbin had questioned Alito's participation in the case, but Alito released a statement saying there was no valid reason for his recusal. This decision has strengthened the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, which is set to hear the case in the coming months.
Posts tagged as “David B. Rivkin Jr.”
Justice Alito Responds to Criticism from Senate Democrats Over Interview with Right-Wing Commentator
Justice Alito Responds to Criticism from Senate Democrats Over Interview with Right-Wing Commentator
Justice Samuel Alito of the Supreme Court issued a statement on Friday in response to criticism from Senate Democrats over his decision to grant two interviews to a right-wing commentator and attorney with a case before the court. Alito argued that the critics fail to understand “the circumstances under which Supreme Court Justices must work” and that the interview he gave violated no ethical standards. This statement is a reminder of the ongoing debate over ethical standards for Supreme Court Justices, as the court has yet to adopt an official ethics code.
Democrats have pushed a Supreme Court ethics legislation through a Senate committee, which has been met with opposition from Justice Alito, who is the first member of the court to take a public stand against it. The legislation is in response to Justice Alito's interview with two Wall Street Journal writers, including one who is an attorney representing plaintiffs in a key case before the Supreme Court. Its prospects in the full Senate remain uncertain.