What to know about the Supreme Court and ethical concerns
1 year, 7 months ago

What to know about the Supreme Court and ethical concerns

NPR  

What to know about the Supreme Court and ethical concerns Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP New reporting from ProPublica has revealed another example of undisclosed expenses that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas received from a wealthy Republican donor. Among the highlights of the report: Law Megadonor's purchase of Clarence Thomas' property was never disclosed, report says Megadonor's purchase of Clarence Thomas' property was never disclosed, report says Listen · 4:01 4:01 Thomas and his wife, Ginni, took a trip to Indonesia on Crow's private jet in June 2019, where they spent nine days island-hopping on the billionaire's private yacht. Law Megadonor's purchase of Clarence Thomas' property was never disclosed, report says Megadonor's purchase of Clarence Thomas' property was never disclosed, report says Listen · 4:01 4:01 Crow's office said in a statement to ProPublica that Crow and his wife have supported children pursuing education. What the justices and the court say Thomas said in a statement that he didn't disclose his trips with Crow because he was told that type of "personal hospitality" from a close personal friend didn't need to be reported.

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History of this topic

‘An ethical crisis of its own making’: Democrats blast Supreme Court ethics
4 days, 3 hours ago

‘An ethical crisis of its own making’: Democrats blast Supreme Court ethics

Al Jazeera  

In a new report, Democrats on the US Senate Judiciary Committee call out alleged ethical lapses among high court justices. A report from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee has detailed new allegations about the “lavish gifts” justices on the United States Supreme Court received from donors. In their report, the Democrats slammed the Supreme Court’s chief justice, conservative John …

Senate Democrats render a verdict on Supreme Court ethics
4 days, 3 hours ago

Senate Democrats render a verdict on Supreme Court ethics

Politico  

Many of the trips, including one Thomas and his wife Ginni Thomas took by yacht and private jet in Indonesia in 2019 as a guest of billionaire developer Harlan Crow, were unearthed by ProPublica last year. “To date, the Judicial Conference has failed to adequately respond to the Supreme Court’s ethical crisis,” the report says. While the Senate report’s main …

Senators file official demand for criminal investigation of Clarence Thomas
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Senators file official demand for criminal investigation of Clarence Thomas

Raw Story  

Democratic senators are calling for the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate allegations that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas violated federal ethics and tax laws. "The evidence assembled thus far plainly suggests that Justice Thomas has committed numerous willful violations of federal ethics and false-statement laws and raises significant questions about whether he and his wealthy benefactors …

Clarence Thomas still hasn't coughed up info about 'many gifts' that remain secret: report
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Clarence Thomas still hasn't coughed up info about 'many gifts' that remain secret: report

Raw Story  

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made national headlines when he finally admitted a conservative billionaire gifted two free vacations — a trip to Indonesia and a northern California "all-male retreat" — but investigative reporters say a slew of valuable perks remain secret. "There are many gifts Thomas received that he has still not disclosed," ProPublica reported Friday, "Even after the …

Legal scholar: Clarence Thomas “corruption” almost “certainly unlawful and ethically reprehensible”
1 year ago

Legal scholar: Clarence Thomas “corruption” almost “certainly unlawful and ethically reprehensible”

Salon  

A deep dive into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' finances revealed a secret complaint, or a subtle request, he made to a Republican Congressman about a pay raise, threatening that if lawmakers didn’t act, “one or more justices will leave soon,” according to a ProPublica investigation. The Court has held here that there is a compelling governmental interest in assuring …

Clarence Thomas faces fresh calls to resign after more billionaire gifts revealed
1 year, 4 months ago

Clarence Thomas faces fresh calls to resign after more billionaire gifts revealed

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Democratic …

Opinion: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ corruption is intolerable. Here’s what we can do about it
1 year, 4 months ago

Opinion: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ corruption is intolerable. Here’s what we can do about it

LA Times  

If you thought you could no longer be shocked by the lavish gifts conservative billionaires have reportedly bestowed on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Thursday’s remarkable investigative report from ProPublica might surprise you. The report exposes Thomas’ pattern of secretly accepting private flights, yacht trips and other luxuries from a cadre of super-wealthy conservative donors over three decades in violation …

Senate committee approves legislation to impose stronger ethics standards on Supreme Court justices
1 year, 5 months ago

Senate committee approves legislation to impose stronger ethics standards on Supreme Court justices

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court would have to abide by stronger ethics standards under legislation approved on Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, a response to recent revelations about donor-funded trips by justices. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin said the legislation would be a “crucial first step” in restoring confidence in the court. The legislation would mandate a new …

Justice Alito disputes ProPublica report he should have disclosed luxury trip
1 year, 6 months ago

Justice Alito disputes ProPublica report he should have disclosed luxury trip

NPR  

Justice Alito disputes ProPublica report he should have disclosed luxury trip Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP Justice Samuel Alito did not disclose a luxury trip he took in 2008 with hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer nor did he recuse himself from cases that the businessman later had in front of the Supreme Court, a …

Senate Democrats demand more details from Harlan Crow on gifts to Justice Thomas
1 year, 7 months ago

Senate Democrats demand more details from Harlan Crow on gifts to Justice Thomas

NPR  

Senate Democrats demand more details from Harlan Crow on gifts to Justice Thomas Enlarge this image toggle caption Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images Pressure to force a wealthy GOP donor to explain his ties to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas escalated on Tuesday, with top Senate Democrats pushing for new disclosures in the face of …

Will the Supreme Court have to answer to ethics rules? Lawmakers ask ‘how low can the court go?’
1 year, 7 months ago

Will the Supreme Court have to answer to ethics rules? Lawmakers ask ‘how low can the court go?’

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Republican lawmakers – who have supported a years-long …

Column: The Supreme Court rejects ethics oversight. Can anything change that?
1 year, 7 months ago

Column: The Supreme Court rejects ethics oversight. Can anything change that?

LA Times  

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas: Even if he’s found to have breached ethics rules, what can anyone do about it? “That reality is driving a crisis in public confidence in the Supreme Court.” The debate about imposing an explicit code of conduct on the Supreme Court has foundered on a constitutional shoal — specifically, whether Congress could promulgate a code …

Yachts, $10m payouts and secret hunting trips: The Supreme Court’s long history of ethics scandals
1 year, 7 months ago

Yachts, $10m payouts and secret hunting trips: The Supreme Court’s long history of ethics scandals

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Mr Crow also bought a group of properties …

Congress has clashed with Supreme Court justices over ethics in the past
1 year, 8 months ago

Congress has clashed with Supreme Court justices over ethics in the past

NPR  

Congress has clashed with Supreme Court justices over ethics in the past Enlarge this image toggle caption Jacquelyn Martin/AP Jacquelyn Martin/AP When Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin this week asked the chief justice of the Supreme Court to give the committee an update on the ethics of the court, he spoke of "a steady stream of revelations regarding Justices falling …

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas: What could Congress do to hold him accountable?
1 year, 8 months ago

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas: What could Congress do to hold him accountable?

Slate  

After two ProPublica investigations revealed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas may have been quietly violating federal disclosure law for over 20 years, the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts urging him to investigate the matter quickly—or they would have to “consider legislation to resolve it.” For decades, Thomas has been accepting luxury vacations, including …

Republicans Defend Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Amid Disclosure Failures
1 year, 8 months ago

Republicans Defend Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Amid Disclosure Failures

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING WASHINGTON ― Republicans defended Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday after it was reported that he failed to disclose gifts and a real estate transaction from a billionaire GOP donor. “Justice Thomas has been attacked and excoriated since his confirmation hearing, and I suspect this is just a continuation of that,” Sen. John Cornyn, a member …

Column: What Clarence Thomas calls hospitality looks a lot more like corruption
1 year, 8 months ago

Column: What Clarence Thomas calls hospitality looks a lot more like corruption

LA Times  

I am shocked, shocked to find that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ commitment to originalism — that is, the belief that legal texts should be interpreted as they were understood when they were adopted — comes to a screeching halt the minute he slides off the bench. I mean, maybe nothing can stop a venal Supreme Court justice from being …

Senator calls to refer Clarence Thomas to attorney general over “week of silence” from John Roberts
1 year, 8 months ago

Senator calls to refer Clarence Thomas to attorney general over “week of silence” from John Roberts

Salon  

This article originally appeared at Common Dreams. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on Thursday urged the top policymaking body for U.S. federal courts to refer Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to the attorney general, citing the lack of immediate action from the high court amid fresh evidence that the right-wing judge violated disclosure laws. But with impeachment unlikely given Republican control of …

Judges 'livid' with Clarence Thomas over secret yacht trips: 'Why respect for the Court has plummeted'
1 year, 8 months ago

Judges 'livid' with Clarence Thomas over secret yacht trips: 'Why respect for the Court has plummeted'

Raw Story  

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas issued a rare public statement in response to a bombshell ProPublica story this week that he accepted millions of dollars in luxury travel from a Republican megadonor without reporting it. Despite his defense of his actions, said CNN's Ariane de Vogue on "The Lead" Friday, many federal judges don't feel the same way. "They don't …

The Clarence Thomas Scandal Is What's Wrong With Our Democracy
1 year, 8 months ago

The Clarence Thomas Scandal Is What's Wrong With Our Democracy

Huff Post  

What are the ethical boundaries for people who have political power and influence? Nearly every year for the past two decades, the Supreme Court justice enjoyed luxury vacations and free travel at the invitation of GOP megadonor and conservative billionaire Harlan Crow. It practically goes without saying that if one of the court’s three liberal justices had been doing what …

Supreme Court under fresh pressure to adopt code of ethics
1 year, 10 months ago

Supreme Court under fresh pressure to adopt code of ethics

CNN  

Washington CNN — For decades, Supreme Court justices have dodged questions related to conflicts of interest by saying essentially “Trust us” or “We’re different.” They’ve refused to be bound by an official ethics code and grievance procedures that cover other federal judges. More than that, this absence potentially imperils the legitimacy of all American courts and the American judicial system, …

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