Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee approved subpoenas Thursday for influential conservatives Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo as part of the panel’s ethics probe into the conduct of U.S. Supreme Court justices, though Republicans claim the vote was “illegitimate.”

The subpoena authorization follows investigative news reports revealing decades of perks Crow provided to Justice Clarence Thomas, including luxury travel on private yachts and jets. Leo, a powerful executive in the Federalist Society, was also reported to have organized a free luxury fishing trip for Justice Samuel Alito Jr. and reportedly steered tens of thousands of dollars to Thomas’ wife for consulting work.