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Sen. Dick Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Thursday invited Chief Justice John Roberts to testify at a hearing about Supreme Court ethics.
Durbin, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, sent a letter to Roberts inviting him or « another Justice whom you designate » to appear before the committee on May 2 for a hearing « regarding the ethical rules that govern the Justices of the Supreme Court and potential reforms to those rules. »
The invitation comes after ProPublica reports revealing close ties between Justice Clarence Thomas and wealthy GOP donor Harlan Crow, including real estate Thomas and his family sold to Crow and extensive travel by Thomas that Crow facilitated or paid for. Those ties were not revealed on Thomas’ disclosure reports.
In his letter, Durbin, D-Ill., noted that the last time the Judiciary Committee heard from sitting justices on ethics was in 2011.MORE: Clarence Thomas under scrutiny after new report on financial ties to billionaire
« 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. These problems were already apparent back in 2011, and the Court’s decade-long failure to address them has contributed to a crisis of public confidence. The status quo is no longer tenable, » Durbin wrote.
Durbin told reporters he gave the court prior notice that the letter was coming and that he expected Roberts to receive it Thursday afternoon.
