WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 21: (L-R) Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sits with his wife and conservative activist Virginia Thomas while he waits to speak at the Heritage Foundation on October 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. Clarence Thomas has now served on the Supreme Court for 30 years. He was nominated by former President George H. W. Bush in 1991 and is the second African-American to serve on the high court, following Justice Thurgood Marshall. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Senate Democrats have accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of accepting millions of dollars in lavish gifts over three decades, including private jet and yacht travel provided by billionaire Harlan Crow, according to a report released Saturday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The report also alleges widespread ethical lapses within the judiciary, including failures by the Judicial Conference of the United States to adequately police such misconduct.
The investigation uncovered previously undisclosed trips by Thomas, including a 2021 flight to Saranac, New York, and a yacht trip to New York City. The report asserts that the number and value of the gifts accepted by Thomas are unprecedented in modern history and notes that some of the individuals providing them had business before the Supreme Court.
Thomas has defended his actions, citing a “personal hospitality” exemption that he claims allowed him to forgo disclosing the gifts.
The report comes amid declining public trust in the Supreme Court, fueled by controversial rulings and media investigations into justices’ financial dealings. Public approval of the Court has hit record lows, and the revelations about Thomas are likely to intensify scrutiny of the judiciary.
Earlier investigations revealed Thomas had failed to disclose tuition payments for a relative and the purchase of his mother’s home, both of which were funded by Crow. Justice Samuel Alito has also faced criticism for failing to disclose a luxury fishing trip funded by wealthy benefactors, one of whom had business before the Court.
The Senate Judiciary Committee report accuses the Judicial Conference, the policy-making body for federal courts, of weakening ethical standards. Recent changes to disclosure guidelines have allowed judges to avoid reporting certain gifts, such as food, lodging, or entertainment, received at properties owned by entities rather than individuals. Senate Democrats argue these adjustments undermine accountability and effectively facilitate further ethical breaches.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) called for stronger enforcement measures, including a binding ethics code for the Supreme Court. Durbin stated that the justices are “losing the trust of the American people” due to what he described as their relationships with wealthy donors. Republicans on the committee declined to participate in the investigation.
Critics of the report, including Crow’s spokesperson and Thomas’s allies, dismissed the investigation as politically motivated and lacking evidence of undue influence on Court decisions.
Thomas reportedly frequently complains about his low $300,000 annual salary.
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