Clarence Thomas and the Ethics Crisis at the Supreme Court

The Senate Judiciary Committee has promised a hearing to investigate the Supreme Court's ethical standards and urged Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to investigate Justice Clarence Thomas's undisclosed acceptance of gifts and luxurious excursions from a wealthy businessman and Republican donor. The committee warned that if the court did not act, they would consider drafting legislation clarifying the court's ethics rules. Democrats have accused the court of arrogance in dismissing criticism from Congress and have called for the court to adopt the ethics rules that the rest of the federal judiciary follows.