Roberts made the statement during an awards ceremony in Washington, DC, lightly acknowledging the ongoing attacks on Justice Clarence Thomas over ethics claims.

Roberts nevertheless told the audience at the American Law Institute (ALI) that neither Congress nor the executive branch should interfere in the court’s affairs.

“I want to assure people that I am committed to making certain that we as a court adhere to the highest standards of conduct,” Roberts said. “We are continuing to look at things we can do to give practical effect to that commitment.”

“I am confident there are ways to do that that are consistent with our status as an independent branch of government under the Constitution’s separation of powers,” he added.

[That’s correct, even though Dick Durbin apparently missed that lesson in his Civics class. — Ed]