Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) blasted Supreme Court Justice John Roberts Thursday for failing to address ethics reform.

Durbin also pledged to move forward with a bill on ethics reform soon in his attacks on the court.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin criticized Chief Justice Roberts for not implementing ethics reform and promised to push a Democratic reform bill. https://t.co/GfukTANZYO

— The Hill (@thehill) July 6, 2023

The Comments

“Many questions remain at the end of the court’s latest term regarding its reputation, credibility, and ‘honorable’ status. I’m sorry to see Chief Justice Roberts end the term without taking action on the ethical issues plaguing the court,” Durbin said.

“The highest court in the land should not have the lowest ethical standards. That’s why, as I previously announced, the Senate Judiciary Committee will mark up Supreme Court ethics reform legislation when the Senate returns after the July 4th recess,” Durbin said.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin has been calling on the Supreme Court to change its ethics standards for almost a decade.

Next month, he might finally get his chance to make it a reality https://t.co/8x83Qmvyfm

— TIME (@TIME) June 30, 2023

The Reputation of the Court

Durbin also addressed his grievances over the court in a recent interview with Time magazine.

“What I’m really setting out to do is to restore the reputation of the court,” Durbin told the outlet.

“If the court is going to maintain credibility and integrity, they have to address this issue now," he added.

“The highest court in the land should not have the lowest ethical standards,” Democrat Dick Durbin said. https://t.co/DiTnWUuATV

— Scott Ainslie (@scottainslieus) July 7, 2023

The Latest

"Durbin has pledged ethics reform legislation and said: 'An announcement on the timing of this vote will be made early next week,'" the Guardian reported.

"In May, Roberts turned down an invitation to testify to the committee regarding ethics reform and, although supreme court justices are notionally subject to the same ethics rules as other federal justices, in practice they govern themselves," it continued.

It Looks Like Chief Justice John Roberts May Be Giving Dick Durbin the Slip https://t.co/N1SBnF2ovq

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 25, 2023

The Ongoing Grudge

Durbin has continued to criticize Roberts since the justice turned down his invitation in May.

"At this point, the Chief Justice has not responded to my invitation for him to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 2. It is becoming clear that such an appearance by the Chief Justice may be the only way for the Court to set out with clarity any meaningful and credible reform," he said.

"As our April 10th letter stated, if the Court does not address shortcomings in its ethical standards, Congress must," Durbin added.

Durbin has continued to push for change, including accusations against other conservative justices such as Clarence Thomas in an effort to discredit the current majority.

The efforts have not worked yet but Durbin is determined to move forward with his bill to help in his quest against Roberts and other conservatives in the nation's top court.