Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Discloses 2019 Bali Trip Paid by Billionaire Donor

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has formally disclosed a 2019 trip to Bali, Indonesia, paid for by billionaire Harlan Crow, according to Thomas’s annual financial disclosure report released on Friday.

The luxurious vacation to the Indonesian island was at the center of an ethics controversy last year after the nonprofit news outlet ProPublica reported on it, sparking months of scrutiny over lavish travel accepted by some Supreme Court justices. Despite the previous reporting, Thomas had just formally disclosed the Bali trip.

In the disclosure, Thomas states that Crow and his wife, Kathy, covered the “food and lodging” costs for the July 2019 Bali trip but did not provide a specific dollar value. Thomas also reported a separate trip to a private club in Monte Rio, California, paid for by the Crows that same month.

The annual financial disclosures provide only a broad outline of the justices’ finances, outside income and gifts. However, they have drawn heightened attention in recent years amid several ethics scandals involving justices accepting luxury travel and accommodations from wealthy donors and interest groups.

Much focus has been on the court’s conservative wing, especially Justices Thomas and Samuel Alito. Thomas has taken multiple trips funded by Crow, a wealthy real estate developer and GOP donor. Alito was criticized for a luxury fishing trip on a conservative hedge fund billionaire’s private jet.

Last year, the governing body overseeing federal judges tightened disclosure rules, prohibiting justices from withholding travel, as Thomas had done if claimed as “personal hospitality” from friends. The reports released Friday are the first since the Supreme Court adopted an ethics code last fall, though it lacks an enforcement mechanism.

While the disclosures shed some light, ethics experts argue stricter rules are needed to ensure accountability and restore public trust in the nation’s highest court after a series of scandals over undisclosed gifts and travel benefits.

Thomas has recently complained about the “nastiness” of Washington, D.C. after reports of his ethical lapses. It was revealed last week that Thomas had accepted over $4 million in gifts while on the high court.