Sen Chuck Schumer says Chief Justice John Roberts has ‘not lived up to his responsibility’ to ensure court's fairness

WASHINGTON, DC: Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer criticized Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday, January 4.

Schumer claims Chief Justice Roberts has not effectively overseen the ethics of his fellow justices or addressed Democratic concerns about forum shopping in lower courts.

Sen Chuck Schumer pushes for Supreme Court ethics reform

Schumer believes Chief Justice Roberts has failed in his duty to ensure the court's fairness, particularly regarding "forum shopping ethics and recusal."

“Justice Roberts has, in my opinion, not lived up to his responsibility as chief justice, on issue after issue. He’s supposed to be the guardian of the court’s fairness and opinion," he said according to The Hill.

For Schumer, these issues especially forum shopping are "something near and dear to me," on which the Chief Justice has fallen short.

In response to these issues, Schumer, along with Sen Dick Durbin and the Judiciary Committee, is considering the "best ways to move forward."

It is related to introducing the bill for transparency and ethics in the justice system.

Sen Chuck Schumer is disdainful as Justice Samuel Alito is refused recusal from Donald Trump-related cases

Schumer's disdain comes amid Democrat leaders exerting pressure on Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse from Trump-related cases, following upside down flags controversy. 

Chief Justice Roberts refused a meeting request from Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin and Sen Sheldon Whitehouse.

"I must respectfully decline your request for a meeting,” he wrote in a letter," as reported by MEAWW.

They sought a meeting with Chief Justice Roberts last month to discuss their advocacy for Justice Samuel Alito's recusal from forthcoming Supreme Court cases related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attacks.

Samuel Alito's upside down flag controversy

Last month, The New York Times reported that Justice Alito's household displayed an upside-down flag, a symbol associated with the 'Stop the Steal' campaign, in January 2021.

Shortly after it was discovered that Justice Alito's beach house displayed an 'Appeal to Heaven' flag, which was also associated with the January 6 US Capitol riots.

Justice Alito stated that his wife flew the flag during a disagreement with neighbors and refused to recuse himself from the cases.

"My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not," Justice Alito wrote in two letters to members of Congress last month as pressure built demanding his recusal.

"The two incidents you cite do not meet the conditions for recusal,” he wrote further. "I had nothing whatsoever to do with the flying of that flag."

"Former President Trump and Leader [Mitch] McConnell stacked the courts with MAGA judges who are striking down laws, freedoms and regulation right and left,” Schumer said in April according to the outlet.

“And now right-wing activists are exploiting the current makeup of the judicial system to circumvent the legislation process," he added.