Senate Judiciary Committee Authorizes Subpoenas for Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo in Supreme Court Ethics Probe

The Senate Judiciary Committee has authorized subpoenas for conservative activist Leonard Leo and GOP megadonor Harlan Crow as part of its ongoing Supreme Court ethics probe. The subpoenas were approved by 11 Democratic senators, while Republican members walked out of the committee room in protest. The meeting became contentious as Republicans accused Chairman Dick Durbin of not allowing them to speak about a judicial nominee. Durbin defended the subpoenas, stating that Crow and Leo had refused to comply with the committee's oversight request. The Supreme Court recently adopted a new code of conduct following allegations of ethical lapses, but its enforcement is limited as the justices would oversee it themselves.