U.S. Supreme Court justices unanimously rebuked efforts by congressional Democrats to dictate ethics policy for the co-equal branch of government.
Chief Justice John Roberts informed Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) he will not attend a related Senate hearing.
The Daily Wire further reported:
All nine Supreme Court Justices issued a statement late last week pushing back on attempts from Senate Democrats to implement new ethics oversight measures over the nation’s highest court which comes after the political Left has tried to generate controversy surrounding three conservative justices in recent weeks.
The statement from the justices also included a letter from Chief Justice John Roberts to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin (D-IL) saying that he will not attend a hearing that Senate Democrats want to hold
“Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee by the Chief Justice of the United States is exceedingly rare, as one might expect in light of separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence,” Roberts said.
The statement from the nine justices said that they wrote it to “provide new clarity to the bar and to the public on how the Justices address certain recurring issues, and also seeks to dispel some common misconceptions.”
The letter then laid out how justices deal with a variety of issues that they face some of which have been included in recent left-wing attacks on Justices Roberts, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch.
The Associated Press reported that the apparent message contained in the unanimous letter from the justices “though not expressly stated, is that the court unanimously rejects legislation proposed by Democrats seeking to impose on the justices the same ethics obligations applied to all other federal judges.”
The letter also addressed recent threats against justices, which reached a fever pitch last year when a leftist reportedly attempted to assassinate up to 3 conservative justices.
“A word is necessary concerning security. Judges at all levels face increased threats to personal safety,” the letter said. “These threats are magnified with respect to Members of the Supreme Court, given the higher profile of the matters they address. Recent episodes confirm that such dangers are not merely hypothetical. Security issues are addressed by the Supreme Court Police, United States Marshals, state and local law enforcement, and other authorities. Matters considered here concerning issues such as travel, accommodations, and disclosure may at times have to take into account security guidance.”
It is unclear what recourse Durbin would have if his attempt to enforce the Democrat’s views is ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
