Chief Justice Won't Testify Before US Congress Over Ethics Concerns

Facts

• On Tuesday, SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts declined an invitation from the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), to testify in May concerning ethical standards and rules in America's highest court.¹
• While Durbin cited justices' alleged failures to abide by the ethical standards expected of the judicial system, Roberts argued there was little precedent for such an act given the importance of the separation of powers between the branches of the US government.¹
• This comes as Justice Clarence Thomas this month confirmed reports that he had repeatedly accepted paid-for trips by wealthy Republican donor Harlan Crow throughout their more than 20 years of friendship. Thomas claims he didn't have to disclose the gifts.²
• Nine days after he was confirmed in 2015, Justice Neil Gorsuch also reportedly sold a 40-acre piece of land he co-owned to the CEO of law firm Greenberg Traurig, which has been involved in at least 22 SCOTUS cases since the sale. Gorsuch, too, never disclosed that deal.³
• The letter sent to Durbin was accompanied by a "Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices" signed by all nine justices, which reaffirmed the court's ethical rules surrounding travel, gifts, and outside income. Durbin says the committee's hearing will proceed regardless.⁴
• This comes as Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska) and Angus King (I., Maine) presented legislation on Wednesday that would require SCOTUS to establish a code of conduct within one year.⁵

Sources: ¹USA Today, ²New York Post, ³POLITICO, ⁴Associated Press, and ⁵Wall Street Journal.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC. While Roberts has rightfully continued to defend the integrity of the Supreme Court, recent troubles surrounding Justices Thomas and Gorsuch continue to exemplify the institution's decline in public standing. As the leader of this sacred institution and a man who believes in its prestige, Roberts must take steps to get his house in order before opinion stoops even lower.
• Republican narrative, as provided by The Gateway Pundit. ProPublica's nasty hit piece on Thomas can be reduced to a joint Democrat-media campaign of harassment against a conservative justice with the end goal of stacking the court. Durbin's call for Robert's testimony is unprecedented, and there is nothing wrong with Thomas and Harlan Crow's families being close friends for over twenty-five years.

Predictions