The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the issuance of subpoenas for Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo as part of an investigation into ethics violations within the Supreme Court.
Washington — Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to issue subpoenas to GOP megadonor Harlan Crow
On Thursday, the panel’s investigation into the ethics practices at the Supreme Court expanded with the involvement of Leonard Leo, a judicial activist known for being conservative.
After a heated meeting, the subpoenas were given the green light. Republicans accused Democrats of trying to weaken the Supreme Court by going after individuals not involved in government. The GOP members of the committee left during the vote, leaving only Sen. Lindsey Graham, the highest ranking Republican on the panel. All 11 Democrats voted in favor of issuing the subpoenas.
legislators are requesting records from Crow and Leo regarding any presents, vacations or accommodations given to any judge on the supreme court.
participation in extravagant vacationsSamuel Alito
Given to Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.Samuel Alito
This year, reports uncovered/revealed/incorporated (depending on context) the following information.
abortion, gun rights and affirmative action
He claimed that the inquiry into Leo and Crow is driven by political motives and may result in senators issuing subpoenas for individuals they have a grudge against.
Senator Graham accused Democrats of making continuous attempts to undermine and dismantle the court, specifically targeting Justice Clarence Thomas and attempting to manipulate the court in their favor. He believes their actions are hindering the current functionality of the Supreme Court.
13
Thirteen panel Democrats also had. to
intending to obtain authorization for
A request for documents was sent to a Republican contributor, Robin Arkley II. However, Senator Durbin withdrew the request after Arkley provided the information to the committee earlier this month.
After the vote, a statement was released by Crow’s office accusing committee Democrats of breaking the panel’s rules in order to issue a subpoena, which they deemed as “invalid” and unable to be enforced. The statement also stated that Crow has been and continues to be open to working with the committee in a cooperative manner, and has provided information in response to the Democrats’ inquiries.
The Democrats on the Committee have requested information from a person who is not a government official, which goes beyond what is reasonable. They have not provided a reason for this request, even though the Committee has already finished working on ethics legislation. However, Mr. Crow is still willing to talk with the Committee about this issue.
Leo expressed disapproval of the Democratic members of the panel, stating that they have caused harm to the Supreme Court and are now causing harm to the Senate. He also stated that he will not participate in their illegal efforts to seek revenge through politics.
Ethics at the Supreme Court
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
2018 controversy
The Judiciary Committee initiated an inquiry into the ethical standards of the Supreme Court this spring following a controversy in 2018.series of reports from the investigative news outlet ProPublica detailing trips Thomas took aboard Crow’s private plane and yacht, and luxury vacations the justice accepted from Crow, a billionaire real estate developer, over their 25-year friendship.
Thomas did not reveal the trip on his yearly financial reports, but stated in reply to the disclosure that he…did not believe
He was required to do this while following the exceptions for personal hospitality.
In 2008, Alito went on a lavish fishing excursion in Alaska. He was accompanied by a private jet provided by GOP donor Paul Singer and received accommodations from Arkley, the owner of a mortgage company in California. Alito did not publicly disclose the trip, but argued that it did not need to be reported due to exceptions for personal hospitality.
After learning about Thomas and Alito’s travels, the Judiciary Committee asked Crow, Leo, and Arkley for details. Leo has consistently refused to comply with the committee’s request, and his attorney informed the panel in a letter on Oct. 19 that their investigation lacked a legitimate legislative intent. Leo, who has been instrumental in the confirmation of various Supreme Court justices, also accused the committee’s Democratic majority of seeking revenge for political reasons.
The Judiciary Committee was offered limited information by Crow, but Senate Democrats were not satisfied with it.
The Republicans have supported Thomas and Alito and criticized Democrats for targeting them unfairly. They point out that Democrats have ignored reports from the Associated Press that reveal Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s court staff promoted the sale of her books to public institutions. Additionally, it was reported that Justice Sotomayor did not recuse herself from copyright cases involving her book publisher. Similarly, Justice Neil Gorsuch also did not recuse himself in a case involving the publisher of his 2019 book.
Thomas’ ties to Crow in particular created mounting pressure on the Supreme Court to adopt a binding code of ethics, and the Judiciary Committee
Progressed based on political divisions
This summer, a bill was proposed that would mandate the Supreme Court to implement a set of ethics rules that can be enforced. The court declared earlier this month that it had adopted the rules.
First time adoption has been implemented.
This is a set of rules for behavior, but does not have a way to make sure they are followed.
The adoption of ethical guidelines followed the endorsement of a formal code of ethics by a number of judges. The Chief Justice, John Roberts, was among those who expressed support.
It was recognized in May that.
The court has room for improvement in upholding ethical standards. The justices are actively considering ways to put this commitment into action.
Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett, both justices, also expressed support
As the Supreme Court’s popularity reached record lows, there was a growing trend towards adopting new codes.
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Source: cbsnews.com