Chief Justice John Roberts declined a request from the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify before the panel.
Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) had invited Roberts to a May 2 hearing on Supreme Court ethics reform. In his letter to Durbin on Tuesday, Roberts pointed out how rare it is for a chief justice to appear before the Senate. According to him, there have been only two prior instances, in 1921 and 1935.
Chief Justice John Roberts' letter to Sen. Dick Durbin declining to testify pic.twitter.com/1vHQIa9R5Y
— Zach Schonfeld (@ZachASchonfeld) April 25, 2023
Durbin responded in a statement, expressing his surprise and displeasure with Roberts's decision, but vowed to go forward with Supreme Court ethics reform without Roberts's testimony.
“I am surprised that the Chief Justice’s recounting of existing legal standards of ethics suggests current law is adequate and ignores the obvious," he wrote. "The actions of one Justice, including trips on yachts and private jets, were not reported to the public. That same Justice failed to disclose the sale of properties he partly owned to a party with interests before the Supreme Court."
“It is time for Congress to accept its responsibility to establish an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court, the only agency of our government without it,” he added.
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Robert's refusal to appear is the latest development surrounding the fallout from reports Justice Clarence Thomas had received lavish gifts and gone on extravagant vacations without disclosing them to the public.
Some Democratic members of Congress, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), have called for Thomas to be impeached over the matter.