Senate Democrats Urge Chief Justice Roberts to Take Action on Justice Alito’s Recusal From Cases Involving Regulation of the Supreme Court

A coalition of Senate Democrats has urged Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to take “appropriate steps” to make sure Associate Justice Samuel Alito recuses himself from cases involving regulation of the high court. The request comes amid concerns about the ethics of the justices and Alito’s recent statements critical of attempts at oversight.

The group of 10 lawmakers, led by Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), sent a letter to Roberts on Thursday. The letter cites a report that Alito took an undisclosed luxury fishing trip with a Republican billionaire who later had cases before the court.

The letter reads, “The Court is mired in an ethical crisis of its own making, yet its only response has been a weak statement on ethics that Justice Alito has apparently ignored.” The Democrats are asking Roberts to ensure that Alito recuses himself from a tax case that the Court agreed to hear next term, as well as any cases involving laws that regulate the High Court.

The request follows an interview published as a column Friday that lavished attention and praise on Alito. The column was written by a former clerk of Alito’s, and it raised further questions about the Supreme Court’s ethical standards.

The letter from the Senate Democrats is the latest development in a growing controversy surrounding the Supreme Court’s ethical standards. It remains to be seen how Roberts will respond to the request and whether Alito will recuse himself from any cases involving regulation of the High Court.