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- A group of fifteen Democratic senators sent a letter in March asking to withhold $10 million in Supreme Court funding.
- The senators said the $10 million should be withheld until a public code of ethics is instituted for the court.
- The letter was sent before ProPublica revealed GOP megadonor paid tuition for a child in Clarence Thomas' custody.
A group of 15 Democratic Senators wants to withhold $10 million in Supreme Court funding until the high court institutes a public code of ethics, according to The Hill.
At the beginning of April, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen — the chair of a subcommittee in charge of the Supreme Court's budget — suggested the court needed a code of ethics, adding that Congress needed to act.
"It is unacceptable that the Supreme Court has exempted itself from the accountability that applies to all other members of our federal courts, and I believe Congress should act to remedy this problem," Van Hollen told the Washington Post.
Unmentioned in Van Hollen's statement to the Washington Post was that a group of senators wrote to Van Hollen's Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee just days prior, on March 31, requesting $10 million be shaved from the Supreme Court's budget until a public code of ethics was adopted.
"Congress has broad authority to compel the Supreme Court to institute these reforms, which would join other requirements already legislatively mandated. And Congress's appropriations power is one tool for achieving these changes," the group wrote in their letter, according to the Hill.
The letter to Van Hollen's subcommittee came approximately a week before investigative news outlet ProPublica revealed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has taken lavish vacations for decades with GOP megadonor Harlan Crow without officially reporting it. ProPublica also revealed on Thursday that Crow paid for some of the pricey boarding school tuition for a child in Thomas' care, also without Thomas ever reporting it.
At a Supreme Court ethics hearing on Tuesday, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley appeared to take umbrage at the Democratic senators' request, asserting the $10 million that would be cut from the Supreme Court's budget would directly impact their security.
Another GOP senator, Ted Cruz, echoed Hawley.
"The left is willing to threaten the lives of the justices," Cruz said.
But according to Van Hollen's spokesperson, the Washington Post reported, his office wasn't aware of any members of Congress trying to slash security spending. She added that cutting funding for the Supreme Court's security simply wasn't on the table.
"Sen. Van Hollen continues to assess options for ensuring the court establishes a code of ethics, but that isn't one of them," the spokesperson told the Washington Post.