U.S. Supreme Court docket
Chief justice turns down invitation to testify about SCOTUS ethics reform in Congress
The U.S. Supreme Court docket as composed June 30, 2022, to current. Picture by Fred Schilling by way of the Supreme Court website.
Chief Justice John Roberts informed the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that he “should respectfully decline” an invite to testify about ethics reform concerning the U.S. Supreme Court docket.
“Testimony earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee by the chief justice of the USA is exceedingly uncommon, as one would possibly anticipate in gentle of separation of powers issues and the significance of preserving judicial independence,” wrote Roberts in an April 25 letter.
Law.com, Law360, Reuters and the Washington Post are among the many publications with protection.
Chief justices have solely testified twice in Congress about issues apart from appropriations and nominations—in 1921 and 1935, Roberts mentioned.
“Each hearings concerned routine issues of judicial administration,” Roberts wrote.
Supreme Court docket justices agreed in 1991 to observe the substance of rules concerning monetary disclosures, presents and outdoors earnings which have been adopted by the U.S. Judicial Convention, Roberts mentioned in a “Assertion on Ethics Rules and Practices” that he hooked up to his letter. The Judicial Convention governs decrease federal courts.
All present Supreme Court docket justices abide by the Assertion on Ethics Rules and Practices, Roberts mentioned.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had invited Roberts to testify Might 2 as a part of “a brand new public dialog on methods to revive confidence within the courtroom’s moral requirements.”
The invitation adopted revelations by ProPublica that Justice Clarence Thomas had accepted luxury vacations from his pal, billionaire Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. Crow also purchased a house and two vacant heaps that have been partly owned by Thomas.
Politico reported Tuesday that Greenberg Traurig CEO Brian Duffy bought property by which Justice Neil Gorsuch held an curiosity. Gorsuch disclosed earnings from the corporate that owned the property however not the customer.
Durbin responded in a press release cited by the Washington Put up.
“I’m stunned that the chief justice’s recounting of current authorized requirements of ethics suggests present legislation is satisfactory and ignores the plain,” Durbin mentioned. “It’s time for Congress to simply accept its duty to ascertain an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court docket, the one company of our authorities with out it.”
Gabe Roth, government director of Repair the Court docket, a courtroom transparency group, additionally released a statement.
“Chief Justice Roberts’ assertion is nowhere close to an acceptable response to the moral failures of the present courtroom,” Roth mentioned. “Roberts right here is demonstrating a profound ineptitude to rise to the event, and our nation is worse for it.”
See additionally:
ABA Journal: “A binding code of ethics for SCOTUS justices is required to guard the courtroom’s credibility, delegates say”
ABAJournal.com: “Practically 20 years in the past, Scalia defined why he didn’t contemplate jet journey a present”
