Senate Judiciary Committee abruptly adjourns meeting without holding expected vote on subpoenas

The Senate Judiciary Committee abruptly adjourned a meeting on Thursday without holding an expected vote on subpoenas for two conservatives who have helped arrange luxury travel and other benefits for Supreme Court justices.

The Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee abruptly adjourned a meeting on Thursday without holding an expected vote on subpoenas for two conservatives who have helped arrange luxury travel and other benefits for Supreme Court justices.

Republicans Protest

The panel's Democratic chairman, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, gavelled out after Republicans on the committee made clear they would call for subpoena votes on a raft of Democratic officials and others, a protest of the planned subpoenas for Republican megadonor Harlan Crow and conservative activist Leonard Leo.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the panel, warned majority Democrats that the hearing would be contentious.

Democrats Plan to Continue

"We will continue our efforts to authorize subpoenas in the near future,” Durbin said. "The highest court in the land cannot have the lowest ethical standards.”

Investigation Into Supreme Court Ethics

The Democrats are planning to subpoena Crow and Leo about their roles in organizing and paying for luxury travel for Supreme Court justices, part of the panel's investigation into Supreme Court ethics. The committee has also pushed to set an ethics code for the court, a move that has been publicly endorsed by three of the nine justices.

Republicans Offer Amendments

Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said that Republicans were trying to offer as many as 90 amendments to try to derail the vote. He said that Republicans "jammed the gears of the committee”.

Republicans United in Opposition

Republicans are united in opposition to the subpoenas, and all of them voted against legislation passed by the panel in July that would force the justices to abide by stronger ethics standards.

Durbin Responds

Responding to the GOP protest, Durbin said at the meeting that the committee is not pursuing a vendetta against conservatives but that "Leonard Leo and Harlan Crow are central players in the ethics challenge facing the court.”