The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee at 10:00 AM Tuesday will hold a hearing on the U.S. Supreme Court‘s judicial ethics, just weeks after numerous bombshell reports revealed several right-wing justices are swimming in scandal.
In a letter to the Committee Monday, Chief Justice John Roberts inadvertently revealed up until April 25, only Justice Clarence Thomas had ever signed onto any ethical statement as a Justice. Coincidentally, Justice Thomas is the jurist enmeshed in the largest allegations of possible corruption and possible unlawful acts. But Justice Neil Gorsuch is also under scrutiny, as is the Chief Justice, after news his wife has made over $10 million placing attorneys into top law firms, some of which have business before the Court.
The Committee likely will discuss the fine lines between ethical and legal duties to report transactions and gifts, and the appearance of impropriety. Last year the Court’s approval rating hit an all-time low, and that was before the recent scandals were reported.
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Democrats will have three legal experts as witnesses, Republicans just two. In addition to the Democrats’ three witnesses, two others submitted written statements, both blasting the Supreme Court’s ethical lapses.
Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin invited Chief Justice John Roberts to testify, but he declined.
You can watch the hearing live on C-SPAN online or on cable, at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s website, or below or at this link.