Senate Dems. Plan to Subpoena GOP Donors Over Alleged SCOTUS Gifts

Facts

• Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee announced on Monday that they intend to subpoena Republican donors Harlan Crow and Robin Arkley as well as conservative activist Leonard Leo concerning their involvement in the payment of luxury items and travel for Supreme Court justices.¹
• While Crow is a known benefactor of Justice Clarence Thomas for over two decades, with payments including vacations, school tuition fees, and the purchasing of Thomas' mother's house, Arkley and Leo are reported to have helped arrange and pay for a private jet trip in 2008 for Justice Samuel Alito.²
• Announcing an impending vote on the subpoenas, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) stated that it was 'imperative' to understand the 'full extent' of the influence on these donors Supreme Court justices.³
• While the committee asked Crow in May for an itemized list of financial gifts to Thomas, the donor's lawyers claimed the committee did not have the authorization to investigate Crow's interpersonal relationship with Thomas.⁴
• Durbin claimed that the Supreme Court was in an 'ethical crisis of its own making,' while further alleging that Chief Justice John Roberts 'refuses to act.' There have been calls for the US Supreme Court to adopt a legally binding code of conduct.⁵
• Chief Justice John Roberts declined an invite to testify in front of the Senate committee in April. A committee spokesperson revealed that the vote would most likely be scheduled for Nov. 9 if minority committee Republicans request a one-week delay, which is a standard process.⁶

Sources: ¹Forbes, ²Associated Press, ³CBS, ⁴Axios, ⁵The Hill and ⁶NBC.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by The Guardian. The acceptance of lavish gifts from Republican billionaires has led to an extraordinary judicial crisis that has all but undermined the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. Several Justices have skirted ethics, and the conservative majority may truly be seen as no more than politicians in robes. The current behavior of unelected justices in the US undermines America's trust in its very own democracy and has led to damaging regressive rulings that have harmed society.
• Republican narrative, as provided by National Review. Democrats continue to spread fictional tales of a corrupt Supreme Court undermined by economic incentives deriving from the right. Data shows that, despite the left's rhetoric, the Supreme Court has been more likely to side with liberal judicial stances in recent years. It's the creation of misleading scandals and the continued manipulation of the media which is why the public continues to hold grave mistrust against our judicial institutions, rather than the Supreme Court itself.

Predictions