Supreme Court news updates: Cruz accuses Democrats of racist attacks on Thomas as Senate holds ethics hearing

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Following a flurry of recent news reports about vacancies and unreported real estate transactions among members of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to ask whether the justices of the nation’s highest court should follow a code of ethics.

A recent investigation by ProPublica revealed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose gifts, financial benefits and luxury trips from Republican megadonor and friend Harlan Crow.

Chief Justice John Roberts was asked to testify before the committee, but declined.

The highest court in the land should not have the lowest standards, said committee chairman Dick Durbin.

Republicans characterized the hearing and attempts to impose codes of ethics on the court as part of a smear campaign among Democratic lawmakers and the media to undermine the courts’ authority.

The left despises Clarence Thomas because he is a conservative African-American, Sen. Ted Cruz has said.

The Supreme Court and the sweeping overhaul of the federal court system by Republican lawmakers and right-wing legal groups have come under intense scrutiny following Roe’s overthrow against Wade last year and dealings with groups of special interests with businesses at court.

Judge Thomas and his wife Virginia Ginni Thomas have also come under fire following revelations that Ms Thomas pushed to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in messages to lawmakers and Donald Trump’s administration.

Show latest update 1683036018

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on ethics issues in the Supreme Court is ongoing.

Last week, Chief Justice John Roberts declined the committee’s invitation to testify, citing issues of the separation of powers and the importance of preserving judicial independence.

Instead, he released a short letter with a joint statement from the current nine justices reaffirming their voluntary adherence to a code of conduct that applies to judges in lower federal courts.

Alex Woodward2 May 2023 15:00

1683037596Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman: Supreme Court should not have lowest ethical standards”

Ahead of this morning’s hearing, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin told MSNBC that the Supreme Court must have a higher standard of ethical behavior:

I think we can come up with a bipartisan measure and go ahead and tell the Supreme Court that the highest court in the land shouldn’t have the lowest ethical standard in the federal government, he said .

David Taintor2 May 2023 15:26

1683037858Dick Durbin addresses the absence of John Roberts

Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin said in his opening remarks that he was troubled by the suggestion that testifying before this committee would somehow breach the separation of powers or threaten the judicial independence.

In fact, answering legitimate questions from people’s representatives is one of the checks and balances that helps preserve the separation of powers, he added.

Alex Woodward2 May 2023 15:30

1683038121How low can the court go?’

Senator Durbin criticized lavish gifts accepted by members of the Supreme Court, including tens of thousands of dollars in trips and trips to Justice Clarence Thomas from a conservative billionaire with interests in the court.

How far can the court go? Durbin said.

I think it’s pretty clear to most objective people that this isn’t the normal course of business and shouldn’t be the norm for those of us in the public service, he said. added. We would not tolerate that from a council member or an alderman. This does not meet the ethical standards we expect of any public servant in America. And yet the Supreme Court doesn’t even recognize that it’s a problem. The letter from the Chief Justices does not mention this.

Alex Woodward2 May 2023 15:35

1683038315Democrats demand court adhere to code of ethics

Democratic members of Congress have backed legislation that would impose a code of conduct on Supreme Court justices, there are the only members of the federal judiciary who do not.

The court should have a code of conduct with clear and enforceable rules so judges and the American people know when conduct crosses the line, Senator Durbin said during Tuesday’s hearing. The highest court in the land should not have the lowest ethical standards. This reality is at the root of a crisis of public confidence in the Supreme Court. The status quo must change.

Alex Woodward2 May 2023 15:38

1683038718Clarence Thomas has faced new calls for impeachment or resignation with the latest revelations

Last month, a bombshell investigation revealed that Judge Clarence Thomas had accepted a luxury vacation from a Republican megadonor for more than 20 years.

Ethics law experts say the absence of such trips from these disclosure forms likely violates a law that requires judges to disclose most of the gifts they receive.

It was the latest in a string of revelations over the past two decades about dodgy gifts, but it also followed further questions about his conduct in court, prompting the judiciary to resign or do facing dismissal.

Last year, Judge Thomas was the only judge to oppose an order that would grant the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack access to hundreds of House documents. Blanche of Donald Trump’s tenure, including messages sent by the judge’s wife to Trump’s then chief of staff. Mark Meadows.

Those posts riddled with election-related conspiracy theories urged Meadows to continue his efforts to overturn the election results, undermining and throwing out millions of American votes, in order to seat Trump for a second term.

Alex Woodward2 May 2023 15:45

1683038971Republican accuses Democrats of concentrated effort to undermine court

Lindsey Graham, a Republican-ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the hearing and other Democratic-led efforts to bolster ethics at the Supreme Court a focused left-wing effort to delegitimize that court and select examples. to make a point.

New Republic headline: Democrats Must Destroy Clarence Thomas’ Reputation. That’s kind of what was happening here, he said. Well, that won’t work. This attack on Judge Thomas goes far beyond ethics. This is about trying to delegitimize a Conservative tribunal that was appointed through the traditional process.

Congressional Republicans have accused Democrats over the years of a kind of judicial extremism in arguing for expanding the court or adding more oversight, despite GOP efforts and right-wing legal campaigns for decades. decades to radically reshape the federal justice system with ideologically bound judges with ties to activist groups.

Alex Woodward2 May 2023 15:49

1683039400 Competing bills would establish Supreme Court’s code of conduct

Senators Angus King and Lisa Murkowski, Independent and Republican, respectively, last week introduced a bill that would require the nation’s High Court to create a binding code of conduct with an ethics officer who will oversee compliance.

A separate proposal by Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse would also require judges to adopt and follow a code of ethics, but it would also impose travel and gift disclosure standards in line with similar rules for members of Congress. This measure would also create a commission of inquiry to examine complaints against judges.

Alex Woodward2 May 2023 15:56

1683041144Former federal judge: I’m here because I think more is needed

Jeremy Fogel, a retired federal judge, told the committee on Monday that he appeared to testify because I think more is needed.

A code of ethics would not make controversies about the court or its decisions go away, but it would be a statement to the American people that their faith in the courts’ respect for fundamental ethical principles matters, he said.

Alex Woodward2 May 2023 16:25

1683042300Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley castigates relentless political beatings by Democratic lawmakers

Sen. Chuck Grassley accused Democratic lawmakers and the press of working together to bid on big Liberal plans to undermine the Supreme Court.

He pointed to the relentless political stunts and left-wing black money interest groups that are engaged in a crusade to threaten, pack and smear the courts.

All because the left opposes recent court rulings, he said.

The increasingly right-wing federal court system has been reshaped as part of a years-long plan between right-wing lobby groups and legal organizations working with Republican lawmakers to seat judges and judges who align closely on their ideological objectives.

The 2010 Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case allowed groups that do not disclose their donors to spend unlimited sums on campaigns, including tens of millions of dollars to influence judicial appointments.

While groups aligned with their causes have spent millions supporting their favorite campaigns with immense success, Republicans have instead focused on so-called black money groups supporting Democratic causes, like the group Demand Justice.

(Getty Images)

Alex Woodward2 May 2023 16:45

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