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(CNN) Chief Justice John Roberts has notified Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin that he will not testify at the Supreme Court ethics hearing.
“I must politely decline your invitation,” Roberts wrote in a letter to Durbin released Tuesday by a spokesperson for the High Court.
“Given the separation of powers issue and the importance of maintaining judicial independence, testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee by a Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court is extremely rare,” Roberts said.
Without addressing Durbin’s specific concerns about ethics, Roberts simply attached a statement on ethical principles and practices that “all current members of the Supreme Court agree with.”
CNN has reached out to the court for comment.
Illinois Democrats wrote to Roberts asking him to volunteer to testify at a Supreme Court ethics hearing scheduled for May 2. The request came after Clarence reported in ProPublica that he discovered that Judge Thomas had made several extravagant trips. At the invitation of GOP mega-donors. The trip was not disclosed in Thomas’ public financial documents.
In a statement, Thomas said he did not report the trip because the ethics guidelines in effect at the time did not require such disclosure.
It was widely expected that Roberts would decline Durbin’s invitation to appear before another branch of government to discuss ethics reform.
Durbin responded to the denial in a statement Tuesday.
“Undoubtedly, ethical reform of the Supreme Court must take place, whether the court participates in the process or not,” Durbin said in a statement.
He also said he was surprised that the Chief Justice amended his letter with a statement intended to make the public “clarified” about how the presiding judge views ethical issues.
Durbin dismissed the statement as “a rethinking of existing legal standards of ethics” and said Roberts’ proposal that current legislation was adequate “ignores the obvious.”
“It’s time for Congress to accept its responsibility to enact an enforceable code of ethics for the only agency of the federal government, the Supreme Court,” Durbin said.
Last weekend, Durbin issued a separate statement, noting that Roberts had refused to respond directly to a letter from Durbin asking the Secretary to investigate Thomas’ filings. , said it had referred it to the Judiciary Council, the policy-making body of the federal courts.
Durbin’s statement included a letter from Judge Roslyn Mousekov, secretary of the Judiciary Council. The United States introduced to me. ”
Mr Mauskopf added that he will forward the matter to the conference’s Financial Disclosure Committee.
This story is broken and will be updated.
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