Chief Justice John Roberts on Thursday rejected Senate Democrats request to meet to discuss the Supreme Court ethics firestorm surrounding Justice Samuel Alito.

I must respectfully decline your request for a meeting, Roberts wrote to Senate judiciary committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who chairs a subcommittee on the federal courts.

Separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence counsel against such appearances, the chief justice wrote. Moreover, the format proposed a meeting with leaders of only one party who have expressed an interest in matters currently pending before the Court simply underscores that participating in such a meeting with be inadvisable.

Heres a copy of Roberts letter: