Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have voted to authorize subpoenas for two prominent conservatives who arranged luxury travel and other benefits for Supreme Court justices

All 11 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve subpoenas for Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo.

Senate Democrats are expected on Thursday to vote on authorizing subpoenas to a pair of influential conservatives with ties to the U.S. Supreme Court as part of an ethics inquiry spurred by reports of undisclosed largesse directed to some conservative justices.

Democrats issued the subpoenas over heavy objections from Republicans, who called the subpoenas "an absolute joke."

Tempers exploded at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting Thursday before Democrats voted to subpoena a major conservative donor and a prominent conservative activist linked to the Supreme Court’s