PROFILES IN COURAGE: John Roberts Edition (No Clarence ethics testimony for you)

[Miles Archer]

Chief Justice John Roberts punts on request to testify about Supreme Court ethics

Washington
CNN
—
Chief Justice John Roberts has declined to directly respond to a congressional request for his testimony at a Supreme Court ethics hearing next month about Justice Clarence Thomas’ alleged ethical lapses.

Roberts instead referred the request from Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin to the Judicial Conference, which serves as the policy-making body of the federal courts.

The Illinois Democrat had penned a letter last month urging Roberts to voluntarily testify in a hearing on Supreme Court ethics set to take place May 2. The letter came in the wake of a ProPublica report that found that Thomas had gone on several luxury trips at the invitation of a GOP megadonor. The trips were not disclosed on Thomas’ public financial filings.

Thomas said in a statement that he had not reported the trips because the ethics guidelines in effect at the time had not required such disclosures.

[calimary]

1. Profiles in Cowardice is more like it.

I originally thought of Profiles in Weaseldom” but it sounded kinda awkward.

[Miles Archer]

2. He's whistling past the graveyard.

I'm sure you heard the recent stunt by Trump's lawyers to delay the E Jean Carroll civil rape trial until "the media frenzy died down from Trump's indictment."

I think the frenzy over that died maybe 1, 2 days afterwards.

The real "media frenzy" has been over the abortion pill rulings, and Clarence. Lotta talk about Clarence. Not so much about Trump.

[gibraltar72]

3. Ethics We're talking about ethics?

[Nictuku]

4. Judicial Conference

The heirachy of the Federal Courts does indeed have the Judicial Conference at the top, FOR ALL THE LOWER COURTS.

I don't believe the Judicial Conference has anything to do with the governing of the Supreme Court itself, other than the fact that John Roberts himself is the presiding officer.

I am fairly certain (from personal experience) that all of Chief Judges of the Circuits and the district judges look upon Roberts (and all of the Supreme Court Associates) as demi-gods. Seriously. It is all of their personal dreams to one day end up on the Supreme Court.

Judicial Conference Membership: The Chief Justice of the United States is the presiding officer of the Judicial Conference. Membership is comprised of the chief judge of each judicial circuit, the Chief Judge of the Court of International Trade, and a district judge from each regional judicial circuit. (they only meet twice a year)

More info about the Judicial Conference: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/governance-judicial-conference/about-judicial-conference#membership

There is no way in hell that a group of his sycophants are going to chastise him any time in this century.

The one thing that most of the Federal Judiciary wholeheartedly agree with (and I do too), is to keep the Federal Judiciary Independent of the other two branches. (but that does NOT mean that the SC should have no ethics rules in place)

They really need to come up with a compromise, even if it is the Chief Justice who must be the 'enforcer' of these ethics (which is the problem, who will enforce any breaches of the ethics?) Federal U.S. Marshals on behalf of the Chief Justice (Roberts). Roberts wants to just sit on the fence.

/rant off