Chief Justice John Roberts rejected an invitation to provide testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about discussing potential changes to the Supreme Court’s ethics rules last week, CBS News reported.
In a letter sent to Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) last Tuesday, the Chief Justice stated his reluctance to provide a testimony, saying that it is “exceedingly rare” for the Supreme Court’s chief justice to testify to the committee “in light of separation of powers concerns” as well as “the importance of preserving judicial independence.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee requested that Chief Justice Roberts testify on May 2, or designate another justice to appear on his behalf.
Democrats hoped to discuss possible ethics reforms related to Justice Clarence Thomas following recent negative media coverage.
Durbin claimed that “revelations” suggest Supreme Court justices are not meeting ethical standards, which he believes has caused a “crisis of public confidence.”
“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 in his letter.
Roberts responded by pointing out that it is very rare for the Chief Justice to testify before Congress unless the matter involves nominations or appropriations, citing only two occurrences of such instances in history.
He also forwarded a copy of the Statement of Ethics Principles and Practices to the Committee.
Durbin also made a statement, clarifying that the invitation had been extended to allow the Supreme Court to participate in the conversation regarding ethics reform.
Even without the Court’s involvement and without Roberts’ presence, the Senate Judiciary Committee will proceed with hearings on the issue.
Moreover, due to California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s prolonged recovery from shingles, the committee is currently split between Democrats and Republicans without the usual single-seat advantage for Democrats.
A majority of members are required to approve a subpoena for Roberts’ testimony, and it remains uncertain if any Republicans will support the proposal.
