Chief Justice Roberts declines Sen. Durbin request to testify on ethics; The Washington Post, April 25, 2023

Robert Barnes, The Washington Post; Chief Justice Roberts declines Sen. Durbin request to testify on ethics

"Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. told Senate leaders Tuesday he would “respectfully decline” to testify at a Senate hearing focused on the Supreme Court, offering instead a statement signed by all the justices in which they “reaffirm and restate foundational ethics principles and practices” to which they abide.

There did not seem to be new proposals or guidelines in the “Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices.” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) immediately labeled it insufficient, noting recent revelations about Justice Clarence Thomas that the senator said illustrate the need for more scrutiny.

“I am surprised that the Chief Justice’s recounting of existing legal standards of ethics suggests current law is adequate and ignores the obvious," Durbin said in a statement."