Clarence Thomas and John Roberts

Dear Commons Community,

Chief Justice John Roberts declined to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee following a series of  reports on fellow Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas that have raised concerns about judicial ethics.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the committee’s chairman, told reporters on yesterday that Roberts had declined to appear on May 2 for a hearing on ethics reform in the judiciary. Durbin invited Roberts or another justice to appear last week, saying the latest revelations on Thomas had “contributed to a crisis of public confidence” in the nation’s highest bench.  As reported by The Huffington Post.

“I must respectfully decline your invitation,” Roberts wrote in a letter. “Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee by the Chief Justice of the United States is exceedingly rare, as one might expect in light of the separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence.”

Durbin has previously said the panel will not try to subpoena Roberts, noting the request was voluntary. A similar hearing took place in 2011.

Democrats have called for hearings after ProPublica reported that Thomas had accepted luxury trips from a billionaire friend for more than two decades, including forays aboard a luxury yacht, flights on a private jet and stays at an exclusive resort. The website later published details of a real estate transaction between the magnate, Harlan Crow, and Thomas’ family. Crow purchased three properties in 2014 from the justice and his relatives, including Thomas’ ancestral home where his mother still lives rent-free.

Thomas did not list the trips or the real estate sale on his financial disclosure forms as is required by law. He said earlier this month he believed he wasn’t required to note the lavish trips on his documents.

“[I] was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the court, was not reportable,” the justice said at the time.

Complaints about Thomas’ behavior have been referred to a federal panel that oversees the nation’s financial disclosure laws. It’s unclear what action, if any, the body could take.

Not surprising that Roberts would not comply!

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

The University of Arkansas System’s Board of Trustees vote, 5-4, on Monday to reject a resolution supporting a future affiliation with the University of Phoenix.

In question was whether trustees would endorse Arkansas’s 70,000-student system entering into a formal agreement with Transformative Education Services, Inc. — a nonprofit looking to acquire the for-profit University of Phoenix and transition it to nonprofit status — for the purpose of sharing expertise, research, and technology. With roughly 65,000 full-time students and 140,000 students taking courses annually, Phoenix serves mostly online, adult learners, and is one of the largest for-profit colleges in the U.S.  As reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The board’s stamp of approval was not required, as the UA system itself would not be purchasing Phoenix. Still, the UA system president, Donald R. Bobbitt, had wanted the board’s weigh-in — and, optimally, its blessing — for a decision of this magnitude.

While Monday’s vote isn’t a death knell for a future partnership, “Dr. Bobbitt has previously said it would be difficult to move forward without support from the Board for this project. That statement remains true,” Nate Hinkel, director of communications for the UA system, wrote in an email to The Chronicle. “He is certainly disappointed in the outcome of the meeting.”

Interesting decision!  I thought the Arkansas system would definitely move to enter the partnership given the support of the UA System President Bobbitt.

Tony