McConnell to Dems on SCOTUS ethics concerns: 'Stay out of it'

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned congressional Democrats against attempting to restrict or regulate the Supreme Court in light of recent reports highlighting potential ethics concerns involving the justices.

"Look, the Supreme Court, in my view, can’t be dictated to by Congress. I think the chief justice will address these issues," the Kentucky lawmaker said, according to The Hill. "Congress should stay out of it, because we don’t, I think, have the jurisdiction to tell the Supreme Court how to handle the issue."

McConnell made the remarks in response to reports that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) were preparing ethics legislation for the court.

Concerns over the justices' receipts of gifts and their recusal decisions in certain cases have risen in recent months, in part due to a series of reports from ProPublica calling attention to Associate Justice Clarence Thomas's relationship with a Republican megadonor.

More recently, the outlet reported on Associate Justice Samuel Alito's luxury fishing trip to Alaska and his flight aboard billionaire Paul Singer's private plane and did not recuse himself during a 2014 case involving Singer's hedge fund.

McConnell expressed confidence that Chief Justice John Roberts could adequately address any ethics concerns involving the court.

"I have total confidence in Chief Justice John Roberts to in effect look out for the court as well as its reputation," he added.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.