The invitation<\/a> from Committee Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to testify at a May 2 hearing came last week amid the controversy surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas’ trips he took with a Republican mega-donor.<\/p>\n “I must respectfully decline your invitation,” Roberts wrote the committee in a letter dated Tuesday, citing the “exceedingly rare” circumstances a Chief Justice of the United States would testify before Congress<\/a>, “as one might expect in light of separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence.”<\/p>\n Roberts cited the few instances throughout U.S. history in which a chief justice had testified before Congress on “routine matters” and “mundane topics,” and noted the infrequency of the Executive Branch<\/a>, meaning the president, also testifying before Congress.<\/p>\n LANDMARK SUPREME COURT CASE COULD HAVE \u2018FAR REACHING IMPLICATIONS\u2019 FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, EXPERTS SAY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Additionally, he attached a Statement of Ethics Principles and Practices he said all members of the Supreme Court<\/a> abide by.<\/p>\n Durbin released a statement responding to Roberts’ letter, saying the hearing would continue as scheduled, and vowed there would be a reform of the Supreme Court’s ethics, regardless of its participation in the process.<\/p>\n “I am surprised that the Chief Justice\u2019s recounting of existing legal standards of ethics suggests current law is adequate and ignores the obvious. The actions of one Justice, including trips on yachts and private jets, were not reported to the public. That same Justice failed to disclose the sale of properties he partly owned to a party with interests before the Supreme Court,” Durbin said.<\/p>\n VP HARRIS CREDITS NONEXISTENT FEDERAL AGENCY WITH APPROVING MIFEPRISTONE: WATCH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “It is time for Congress to accept its responsibility to establish an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court, the only agency of our government without it,” he added.<\/p>\n Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (left) and Chief Justice John Roberts (right).<\/span> (Associated Press)<\/span><\/p>\n Earlier this month, Durbin asked Roberts to open an investigation<\/a> into Thomas over what Democrats say is his “misconduct” that was detailed in a report by ProPublica report accusing him of improperly receiving lavish vacations from Republican mega donor Harlan Crow, which reportedly included taking trips across the world on Crow’s yacht and private jet without disclosing them.<\/p>\n Experts have dismissed the report as political hit piece and explained that justices are permitted to accept invites to properties of friends for dinner or vacations without paying for it or disclosing it.<\/p>\n![\"Durbin](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/640\/320\/CJRDDv1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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