Global Courant
A group of 18 House Democrats wrote a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday, urging him to create an independent investigative division within the Supreme Court — urging that office to investigate Judge Clarence Thomas’s relationship with a wealthy GOP donor.
The letter, led by Rep. Dan Goldman, DN.Y., and co-author of 17 colleagues who have worked as prosecutors, judges and law enforcement, was first shared with NBC News. It criticizes Roberts for saying the court can convince the public it is “holding to the highest standards of conduct” without taking new action to address recent ethical issues.
In April, This is reported by ProPublica that Thomas has been a recurring guest on the jet and yacht of GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow, traveling the country and the world without disclosing those gifts and others.
This month, the same point of sale that Judge Samuel Alito traveled to Alaska on a fishing trip at the expense of another top Republican donor, hedge fund giant Paul Singer. Since that 2008 vacation, ProPublica wrote, Singer’s hedge fund has gotten cases in the Supreme Court at least a dozen times.
Justice Neil Gorsuch has not disclosed his sale of a vacation property, along with partners, to the head of the powerful law firm Greenberg Traurig, according to Politics.
“Despite your insistence that the court can audit itself, you have provided no rationale or vision for how the court will do that,” Goldman and 17 co-authors wrote. “Furthermore, the Court’s failure to conduct a meaningful, independent investigation into allegations against Justices Thomas and Alito only underlines the widespread concern that the Supreme Court is not subject to a code of ethics or an adequate enforcement process.”
The letter comes in the middle multiple Senate attempts to set new ethical standards for the Supreme Court, and the Democratic leaders in the chamber have done that vowed to pass a bill. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., resists that pressureand there is no indication that the Republican-led House would match any Senate action.
The Goldman letter recommends establishing an “independent investigative body” within the court that can provide transparency and accountability by investigating “alleged ethical improprieties.”
“Using a revamped and independent internal investigative process, we urge that investigative body to conduct a substantial investigation – culminating in a public report – into Judge Thomas’s many allegations of ethical misconduct and conflict of interest,” they wrote. the authors.
The letter also urges Roberts to establish legal counsel to advise judges on disclosure, challenge decisions and other ethical issues.
“If, as you say, the Court is able to uphold the highest ethical standards, then we hope you will accept our recommendations to establish an independent and transparent investigative body and a separate ethics board to maintain the confidence of the U.S. to win people back.” wrote the group of former prosecutors, judges and law enforcement officials.
After the Thomas story came out in April, Roberts declined a request from Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin to allow him to appear before the panel to discuss Supreme Court ethics. Roberts cited the “separation of powers” and his desire to maintain “judicial independence”.
Roberts is under no obligation to respond to the Goldman letter, let alone create new institutions within the court.
