Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has invited Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss ethics reform in the judiciary following reports of Justice Clarence Thomas' undisclosed gifts and trips from a Republican megadonor. Roberts has been asked to testify on potential reforms to the ethics rules, but not answer questions from committee members. The invitation has been met with criticism, and it is unclear if Roberts will accept. The committee has set a hearing date of May 2 for the potential testimony.
Posts tagged as “John Roberts”
The Senate Judiciary Committee has called on Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to investigate Justice Clarence Thomas for failing to disclose 20 years' worth of lavish gifts and luxury travel from a GOP megadonor. The Committee, chaired by Dick Durbin, is also planning to hold a hearing on the need to restore public confidence in the Supreme Court. The ProPublica report revealed that Thomas had failed to disclose the gifts and trips as required by law, sparking the latest development in a long-running controversy surrounding the Supreme Court's ethics standards.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has announced plans to hold a hearing in the coming days to address the need to restore public confidence in the Supreme Court's ethical standards, following ProPublica's reporting that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted luxury travel from a billionaire without disclosing it. The 11 Democratic members of the Committee have urged Chief Justice John Roberts to open an investigation into Thomas' conduct, believing that the public has a right to know about the trips and that the Supreme Court should be held to the highest ethical standards. The hearing will be an important step in restoring public confidence in the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice John Roberts praised programs that protect judges in his annual year-end report, citing the security threats faced by Supreme Court justices in the wake of the controversial May abortion decision. He also praised the legacy of Judge Davies, who was the subject of protests after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, and noted that two of his liberal colleagues have said the court needs to be concerned about overturning precedent and appearing political. Roberts concluded his report by saying, “We must support judges by ensuring their safety.”