This article was written by Andrew Solender and published in Axios.
Senate Democrats on Monday revealed plans to hold a hearing into "the Supreme Court's ethical standards" in the coming days as they push for an investigation into Justice Clarence Thomas.
Why it matters: Thomas is under fire from Democrats over a recent ProPublica report detailing lavish gifts he received from billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow over the course of decades.
Driving the news: In a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts, the 11 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee led by Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) wrote that the hearing will cover "the need to restore confidence in the Supreme Court’s ethical standards."
"If the Court does not resolve this issue on its own, the Committee will consider legislation to resolve it," they wrote, amid a push from some Democrats to back a proposal to compel the high court to create or adopt an ethics code for justices.
With regards to Thomas, the lawmakers noted that Roberts "[does] not need to wait for Congress to act" to open an investigation, adding, "We urge you to do so."
The big picture: The letter builds on already mounting pressure from Democrats for Roberts to take action in the wake of the ProPublica report published Thursday.
Nearly two dozen House and Senate Democrats wrote to Roberts on Friday seeking a "swift, thorough, independent and transparent investigation" as part of his duty to "safeguard public faith in the judiciary."
Some Democrats have gone even further, calling for Thomas to resign — or be impeached by Congress.
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