{"id":2261948,"date":"2024-06-07T05:41:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-07T09:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/durbin-manages-left-flank-with-supreme-court-pressure-campaign\/"},"modified":"2024-06-07T05:45:08","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T09:45:08","slug":"durbin-manages-left-flank-with-supreme-court-pressure-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/durbin-manages-left-flank-with-supreme-court-pressure-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Durbin leads Supreme Court pressure campaign on the left side"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdurbin-manages-left-flank-with-supreme-court-pressure-campaign%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2261948&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), facing pressure from the Left and potential GOP backlash, implores \u2062the Supreme Court to address allegations of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ny-dems-are-such-a-mess-republicans-might-actually-win-the-governorship-2\/\" title=\"NY Dems Are Such A Mess Republicans Might Actually Win The Governorship\">ethical misconduct<\/a> among conservative justices. Durbin&#8217;s calls for recusal\u2064 from Justice\u200d Alito were\u2064 rebuffed, reflecting \u200bhis efforts to address concerns about the court&#8217;s integrity amid \u200bescalating tensions between progressives and Senate norms. Sen.\u200d Dick Durbin \u200d(D-IL) is under pressure from the Left and potential GOP \u2063backlash as he \u2063urges the Supreme \u200bCourt \u2064to investigate ethical misconduct claims against conservative justices. Despite his requests\u2064 for Justice Alito to step aside \u200bbeing rejected, Durbin remains committed \u200bto upholding the court&#8217;s integrity amidst mounting\u2062 tensions \u2064with progressives and Senate traditions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dick-durbin\/\">Dick Durbin<\/a> (D-IL) is balancing the demands of the Left with the risk of GOP retaliation as he pressures the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a> to address accusations of perceived ethical lapses by its conservative justices. <\/p>\n<p>Last month, Durbin, as chairman of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate-judiciary-committee\/\">Senate Judiciary Committee<\/a>, called on Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from two Jan. 6 cases following reports that an upside-down flag, a symbol now tied to Capitol rioters, was flown in his yard in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Durbin sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3017396\/democratic-senate-leaders-call-meeting-with-chief-justice\/\">demanding a meeting<\/a> several days later after a second report found another flag that Democrats have associated with the \u201cStop the Steal\u201d movement was flown over Alito\u2019s beach home last year.<\/p>\n<p>The steps, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3021146\/alito-refuses-recuse-supreme-court-cases-flag-trump\/\">both of which<\/a> were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3022833\/chief-justice-roberts-declines-meet-senate-democrats-calls-alito-recusal\/\">rebuffed<\/a> by the justices, reflect Durbin\u2019s attempts to channel the Left\u2019s fury at the Supreme Court, which has faced a drip of negative reports about its conservative members since <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em> was overturned in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>But progressives\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/politico-influence\/2024\/05\/29\/progressive-groups-squeeze-durbin-over-judicial-ethics-00160497\">underwhelmed<\/a> and arguably <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/tribelaw\/status\/1793399152501461358\">hostile<\/a> response to Durbin\u2019s efforts also reveal a tension. He shares their goal of \u201creforming\u201d the court but has taken a measured approach that reflects Senate norms of bipartisanship and the limits of his own power as Judiciary chairman.<\/p>\n<p>Durbin, also the Democratic majority whip, has brushed off some of the more drastic steps as unrealistic. Progressives want him to drag Roberts and Alito before the Senate under threat of subpoena despite fierce opposition from Republicans, who say the pressure campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/beltway-confidential\/3015036\/democrats-alito-ramblings-about-delegitimizing-supreme-court\/\">undermines<\/a> the integrity of the court and is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3021366\/the-left-comes-for-alito-recusal-calls-are-a-coordinated-campaign-against-supreme-court-justice\/\">politically motivated<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Any subpoena requires bipartisan cooperation or 60 votes on the Senate floor to be enforceable. Currently, Democrats only have 51.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey better sit down and understand the Senate rules,\u201d an exasperated Durbin said of progressives, \u201cand I think they\u2019ll see there\u2019s a limitation on the Senate side you don\u2019t find on the House side.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Durbin has also resisted steps he could theoretically take as unnecessary. Following reports of the upside-down flag, which Alito attributed to a dispute between neighbors and his wife, Durbin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/key-senate-democrat-doesnt-plan-probe-justice-alito-upside-flag-rcna153170\">said<\/a> there was not \u201cmuch to be gained\u201d from a hearing.<\/p>\n<p>His remark prompted a wave of angry criticism. Durbin, along with his Judiciary colleague Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), has drafted legislation to impose an enforceable code of conduct on the Supreme Court, citing reports that Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas accepted undisclosed gifts from wealthy benefactors and activists.<\/p>\n<p>But progressives say his letters and statements amount to \u201cempty words.\u201d Others have called Durbin \u201cAWOL\u201d on the matter.<\/p>\n<p>The Senate\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/only-democratic-representative-to-vote-against-h-r-1-election-bill-explains-decision\/\" title=\"Only Democratic Representative To Vote Against H.R. 1 Election Bill Explains Decision\">progressive members<\/a> are measured but no less interested in a forceful response.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we\u2019ve got to keep their feet to the fire, absolutely,\u201d said Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), a member of the Judiciary Committee, when asked if Durbin should hold a hearing on Alito, who said his wife also flew the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-most-dangerous-part-of-the-nyt-alito-flag-meltdown-is-the-politicization-of-patriotism\/\" title=\"The NYT's Alito Flag Controversy: Politicizing Patriotism\">beach house flag<\/a>, denying he had any knowledge of its Jan. 6-related connotation.<\/p>\n<p>Padilla called possible next steps an \u201cactive conversation\u201d with Durbin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to do more,\u201d added Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWatching John Roberts thumb his nose at Congress while members of his own court engage in one ethical scandal after another is bad for our judicial system and bad for our country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>The issue has put Durbin at odds with Whitehouse, viewed by progressives as more willing to challenge the Supreme Court. The two have worked in close concert, but Whitehouse has stepped out further than Durbin at times.<\/p>\n<p>He called for an investigation into Alito following the flag reporting, while he will appear as a panel expert at a Tuesday roundtable on the Supreme Court hosted by House Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Durbin has indicated the Judiciary Committee could take additional action.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s more that we\u2019re considering,\u201d he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, followed by a \u201cWe\u2019ll see\u201d when asked about opening a formal investigation into Alito.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, House Democrats have provided a template for the sort of action progressives would like to see taken.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), Whitehouse\u2019s Judiciary counterpart in the House, launched a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/hankjohnson.house.gov\/media-center\/press-releases\/congressman-johnson-leads-house-members-launching-court-reform-now-task\">Court Reform Now<\/a>\u201d task force in mid-May that advocates, among other things, expanding the Supreme Court, while Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), a House Judiciary Committee member, <a href=\"https:\/\/goldman.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/congressman-dan-goldman-introduces-supreme-court-ethics-and-investigations-act\">introduced a bill<\/a> on Tuesday to create a Supreme Court ethics office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Congress can and should do more, but we\u2019ve been encouraged by some of the steps taken over the last couple of weeks,\u201d said Joe Van Wye, a senior legislative strategist at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.<\/p>\n<p>Van Wye appeared with Goldman outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday in a press conference announcing his bill.<\/p>\n<p>Progressives even see a role for the Biden administration. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3021879\/raskin-suggests-doj-force-alito-and-clarence-thomas-to-recuse-themselves-from-jan-6-cases\/\">penned an op-ed<\/a> last week detailing how the Justice Department could petition the Supreme Court to force both Alito and Thomas to recuse themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas\u2019s wife was associated with efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.<\/p>\n<p>Durbin, following in their footsteps, could go nuclear. He took his most controversial action yet in November when he moved to subpoena conservative donor Harlan Crow and activist Leonard Leo, who took Thomas and Alito on luxury trips.<\/p>\n<p>However, Republicans, who have panned the Alito controversy as \u201cprofoundly unserious,\u201d have threatened to play hardball if Durbin pursues that path. They stormed out of the hearing room as Democrats voted on the subpoenas last year.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, has even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courthousenews.com\/still-smoldering-about-dems-leo-subpoena-senate-gop-keep-their-options-open-for-political-retribution\/\">warned<\/a> that Democrats\u2019 actions could lead Republicans to abandon bipartisanship on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disaster-death-of-dianne-feinstein-could-severely-derail-biden-agenda\/\" title=\"'Disaster' - Dianne Feinstein's Death Could Derail Biden Agenda\">approving judicial nominees<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Graham at times provides the lone Republican vote to otherwise party-line nominees.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that Democrats could lose cooperation on one of their greatest accomplishments of the 118th Congress, appointing a near-record number of judges to the federal courts, is back of mind for Durbin\u2019s defenders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s gotta exercise judgment about what we can do and what the price is, but his focus has rightly been on getting judges confirmed,\u201d said Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), who noted that Durbin only controls the Judiciary Committee by a single Democratic vote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s been very concerned about the ethical situation on the court, but the capacity of an 11-10 Judiciary Committee to take definitive action promptly is really compromised when you get universal opposition from our Republican colleagues who say even asking the question about the Thomas trips, or the Alito trips, is judicial interference,\u201d Welch added.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), one of the more outspoken Judiciary Committee Democrats, agreed that his party needs to be \u201cclear-eyed\u201d about what can be accomplished in the context of Republican opposition, but he argued more could be done.<\/p>\n<p>He suggested the committee conduct a formal investigation that culminates in a report.<\/p>\n<p>For now, the Democrats are virtually unified in pressuring Roberts to act on his own.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court adopted a voluntary code of ethics in November following blistering pressure from the Democrats, but they call the step toothless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he is the linchpin here,\u201d said Blumenthal, who suggested Roberts could punish Alito and Thomas by taking away their ability to write majority opinions if they fail to recuse themselves.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The suggestion prompted an angry rebuke by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who said Blumenthal may be engaging in \u201cunprofessional ethical conduct\u201d as a member of the Supreme Court bar. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis goes beyond the standard disgraceful bullying my Democratic colleagues have perfected,\u201d McConnell said in a Wednesday floor speech. Blumenthal\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment by press time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) navigates leftist pressures while confronting potential GOP backlash. By urging the Supreme Court to tackle allegations of ethical misconduct among conservative justices, Durbin, Senate Judiciary Committee chair, recently demanded Justice Samuel Alito&#8217;s recusal from two January cases<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2261949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24031617024452-1024x592.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2261948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24031617024452-1024x592.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2261948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2261948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2261948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2261949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2261948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2261948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2261948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}