Sen. Durbin Invites Chief Justice Roberts to Testify Before Senate Judiciary Committee on Ethics Reform in the Judiciary

WASHINGTON ― Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has invited Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss ethics reform in the judiciary following reports that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted undisclosed gifts and lavish trips from a Republican megadonor.

In a letter to Roberts on Thursday, Durbin requested that the chief justice or “another justice whom you designate” testify before the committee at a public hearing on the ethics rules. Durbin said the scope of Roberts’ potential testimony could be limited to only the subjects of the ethics measures and potential reforms to them, and he would not be expected to answer questions from committee members about other matters.

The invitation follows a series of revelations about Thomas’ close ties to a billionaire Republican donor, prompting Durbin to call for a review of the ethics rules governing the Supreme Court.

“The status quo is no longer tenable,” Durbin, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, wrote in the letter. “The American people deserve to know that the highest court in the land is operating with the highest ethical standards.”

The invitation has been met with some criticism, with some legal experts arguing that it would be inappropriate for Roberts to appear before the committee. “I would not recommend the chief justice accept his invitation because it would be a circus,” said one legal scholar.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has yet to receive a response from Roberts, and it remains unclear if he will accept the invitation. The committee has set a hearing date of May 2 for the potential testimony.