On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on “Supreme Court Ethics Reform,” ostensibly to deal with concerns over recent revelations regarding Justice Clarence Thomas having accepted several trips from his billionaire friend, Harlan Crow.
Though the pair have been friends for nearly 30 years and Thomas has stated that after seeking guidance on such matters early in his career, he was advised, “that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable,” Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) recently introduced a bill that would require the Court to put in place a code of conduct, appoint a designee to receive complaints of code violations, and give the Court authority to investigate such matters. Democrats, who’ve been howling (even louder than normal) for Thomas’ resignation, set Tuesday’s hearing on the bill to review the Court’s ethical standards.
Each of the committee members, of course, had their time to give an opening statement before questioning the witnesses. True to form, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) gave a statement that nailed the Democrats’ naked power ploy for exactly what it is:
Today’s hearing is an excuse to sling more mud at an institution some Democrats don’t like because they CAN’T CONTROL IT!
Senator John Kennedy:
"Today's hearing is an excuse to sling more mud at an institution some Democrats don't like because they CAN'T CONTROL IT!"
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/I58fAkOJJJ
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 2, 2023
Never one to shy away from the unvarnished truth, Kennedy, in his remarks, got down to the ultimate heart of the matter, observing: “The danger isn’t that rogue justices are operating without ethics – it’s that Democrats aren’t winning every fight and they find that reality intolerable.”
Kennedy’s full remarks lasted for roughly 10 minutes and can be viewed in full in the video below, but some highlights are included here:
Americans may be poorer under the Biden administration, but they are not stupid. They know what’s going on here. I remember the Democratic leader’s words of March 4th 2020, on the steps of the United States Supreme Court like they were yesterday. “I want to tell you, Gorsuch,” he said – not “Justice Gorsuch,” of course – “I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.” Wow. Just wow. I think Matthew 12:36 is correct. “For by thy words, you shall be justified, and by thy words, you shall be condemned.”
…
When the United States Senate confirmed three new Supreme Court justices, which the loon wing of the Democratic Party loathed, the campaign of threats ratcheted up. You remember the shouts: “Let’s pack the Court,” they said, “Let’s pack the Court.” And the political threats of some of the highest officials in our government fueled physical threats against the justices, and we know that.
“You have released the whirlwind,” the Democratic Leader said. Incensed, protestors took to the streets – not outside Congress, not outside the Court. But outside the homes – the homes! – of Justice Roberts, Justice Kavanaugh, Justice Thomas, and Justice Barrett. Federal law prohibits this intimidation. But the Biden Justice Department allowed it.
“You will pay the price,” the Democratic Leader said. In that spirit, angry protesters publicized the location of the school that Justice Barrett’s children attend.
“You won’t know what hit you,” the Democratic Leader said. A man with a gun, ammunition, knife, pepper spray, and zip ties went to a justice’s home to assassinate him. Actually, his stated goal was to murder three justices.
Not so suddenly, the ends justified the means for activists.
Even inside the Court itself, the Dobbs decision was not leaked by a left-wing blogger. Why? That’s worth asking. You don’t need to be Einstein’s cousin to figure it out: They aren’t getting their way. They aren’t getting their way, so they want to change the rules.
Kennedy went on to point out how the attacks are focused on the conservative wing of the Court — and not over ethics, but rather, outcomes.
The attacks on conservative justices are targeted. They’re exaggerated. The alarmism is affected. The danger isn’t that rogue justices are operating without ethics – it’s that Democrats aren’t winning every fight and they find that reality intolerable. I’ve been disappointed by Supreme Court opinions too, but my Democratic colleagues should fill out a “Hurt Feelings Report” and move on for the sake of the Constitution.
Look, the agenda-driven story here is that Justice Thomas has a rich friend who had no business before the United States Supreme Court. For context, let’s recall that history is littered with examples of public officials failing to disclose their every transaction. We can acknowledge it’s required by law – it is. We can acknowledge it’s the right thing to do – it is. But we can do that without maligning each justice’s motives and the entire institution’s credibility, for God’s sake. You know who else amended their disclosures because of inadvertent omissions? Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Stephen Breyer – two good people. Justice Jackson made multiple amendments three days – three days – after President Biden nominated her. Not one Senator brought that up during her confirmation hearings. Not one of my colleagues here walked into her hearings with the buckets of mud that they’ve thrown against Justice Thomas. Not one – nor should we have.
In the last month, some – not all — but some Democrats and their media allies hyped up attempted hit pieces on every Republican-appointed Supreme Court justice except for one. They tried going after Justice Kavanaugh for buying baseball tickets, Justice Alito for having dinner with people who gossip, the wife of Chief Justice Roberts for hiring good lawyers, Justice Gorsuch for selling land in an LLC, which he properly disclosed, to a major donor to the Democratic Party, for God’s sake, who he’s never even met, and Justice Thomas for having a rich friend. Justice Barrett, if you’re listening, I hope you don’t have library books overdue. If recent history is any indicator, you’re next.
Today’s hearing is an excuse to sling more mud at an institution that some – not all – some Democrats don’t like because they can’t control it 100 percent of the time – and that’s a fact, and everybody in this hearing room knows that. Until they get the outcome they want in every case, I fear they are going to continue to slander it in an effort to take control of it – and I pray to God I am wrong.
I wish I believed he was wrong too, but sadly, I believe Sen. Kennedy is spot on.
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