Judicial Conference Code News Today

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to subpoena allies of conservative Supreme Court justices in a contentious meeting where the Democratic majority at one point did not allow Republican senators to speak.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a formal code of conduct for itself, after months of criticism from liberal advocates targeting some of the conservative members of the bench and accusing them of unprofessional relationships with billionaires.

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett said the high court justices are civil to one another and leave their heated disagreements to the cases and written opinions.

Senate Democrats backed down Thursday from subpoenaing conservatives in a probe of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after Republicans threatened subpoenas in scandals linked to prominent liberals such as George Soros.

Senate Democrats are moving to subpoena Harlan Crow, a GOP mega-donor and close friend to Justice Clarence Thomas, along with other conservative allies as part of their push to impose an ethics code on the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan said a code of ethics for the high court would be a "good thing."

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin is calling on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from a major case dealing with administrative law and the reach of executive agencies that is scheduled to be heard this term, which begins in October.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. rebuffed a request by Senate Democrats to recuse himself in a case after he told a reporter that ethics legislation for the high court would be unconstitutional.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse filed a formal complaint against Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. this week, suggesting he ran afoul of judicial ethics by criticizing Mr. Whitehouse's legislation, which would impose a code of ethics on the high court.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' relationship with wealthy individuals received renewed scrutiny Thursday in a report saying he has taken more than three dozen vacations with influential people during his time on the bench.