Justice Roberts Holds the Upper-Hand on Democrats’ Latest Crusade

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Democrats are looking to reform the judiciary, but Justice John Roberts seems to have the upper hand.

Roberts is not willing to testify, and Democrats seem unwilling to subpoena him to compel him to do so.

The Hill reports:

Democrats appear to be divided over the strategy of issuing a subpoena, in that they acknowledge it’s unclear whether they could even get majority support on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“I’m not sure,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) told The Hill when asked if they could get all 11 Democrats on the panel behind that effort. “It’s the reality of an 11-10 [majority]. … It just takes one.”

Subpoenaing Roberts could put more pressure on the Supreme Court to take tougher steps on ethics reform. It would also signal to voters and those pressing for action that Democrats are trying to use their power to win reform.

But it would also carry risks. A Republican member on the committee said it would inflame tensions on the panel to levels that would grind its work to a halt.