JUST IN: Chief Justice John Roberts Rebukes Senate Dems Over Request for Meeting on Alito Flags
Story by Isaac Schorr
Chief Justice John Roberts rebuked Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in a response to a letter from the two legislators requesting a meeting with Roberts.
Last week, Durbin and Whitehouse wrote to Roberts “regarding recent New York Times reports that an upside-down American flag was displayed in Justice Samuel Alito’s yard in January 2021 and another flag associated with the January 6th attack on the Capitol was flown at another of Justice Alito’s residences in the summer of 2023.” In that document, they asked Roberts to “take appropriate steps to ensure” that Alito would recuse him from any cases related to the 2020 election and January 6 Capitol riot. They also “requested a meeting with you as soon as possible, in your capacity as Chief Justice and as presiding officer of the Judicial Conference of the United States, to discuss additional steps to address the Supreme Court’s ethics crisis.”
In his reply, Roberts did not signal an openness to either of these requests.
“In regard to questions concerning any Justice’s participating in pending cases, the Members of the Supreme Court recently reaffirmed the practice we have followed for 235 years pursuant to which individual Justices decide recusal issues,” began Roberts. “It is my understanding that Justice Alito has sent you a letter addressing this subject.”
He continued:
I must respectfully decline your request for a meeting. As noted in my letter to Chairman Durbin last April, apart from ceremonial events, only on rare occasions in our Nation’s history has a sitting Chief Justice met with legislators, even in a public setting (such as a Committee hearing) with members of both major political parties present. Separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence counsel against such appearances. Moreover, the format proposed—a meeting with leaders of only one party who have expressed an interest in matters currently pending before the Court — simply underscores that participating in such a meeting would be inadvisable.
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On Wednesday, Alito wrote in his own letter that he was not responsible for the flags written about by the Times and would not recuse from any of the cases Durbin and Whitehouse have argued he he should.
The Dem’s have no regard for separation of powers. As they try to exert their power over everyone.