Justice Clarence Thomas has officially revealed that billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow paid for two trips he took in 2019, which were inadvertently omitted from his earlier financial disclosure reports.
These trips have sparked controversy and criticism regarding the extravagant gifts that Supreme Court justices receive, especially after ProPublica reported that the unreported trip was just one of many vacations Thomas accepted from Crow without disclosure. Following increased scrutiny and calls for ethics reform on the Court, Thomas has now acknowledged these trips for the first time in his reports.
In his 2023 report released on Friday, Justice Thomas stated that he sought guidance from his accountant and ethics counsel before amending the 2019 report to include the two trips. The first entry lists Harlan and Kathy Crow as the source of a trip to Bali, Indonesia, on July 12, 2019, where they covered food and lodging expenses at a hotel. The second entry lists Harlan Crow as the source of a trip to a private club in Monte Rio, California, from July 18 to 21, 2019, where the donor also paid for Thomas’ food and lodging.
These annual disclosure reports, mandated by law, are intended to provide transparency into the outside income, travel, and gifts received by Supreme Court justices appointed by the president. The report of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, also released on Friday, revealed that she received concert tickets worth $3,700 from Beyoncé. Several justices, including Jackson, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Sotomayor, reported substantial amounts in advances and royalties from book sales.
However, according to investigations by ProPublica and a watchdog group, these reports may not always offer a complete picture.
Political Scandals
Clarence Thomas’ many scandals draw more calls for court reform
9:01 PM, May 05, 2023
Following the ProPublica report, Thomas had initially stated that he was not required to report the trips under the existing ethics rules. Although a new code of conduct was adopted by the Supreme Court last year, the lack of enforcement has been a point of contention, as the trips were considered “personal hospitality.” Additionally, a report from Fix the Court revealed that justices have received nearly $4.8 million in gifts over the past two decades, with Thomas accounting for over $4 million of that amount.
According to Fix the Court, the total value of gifts likely exceeds $6.6 million, with Thomas receiving almost $5.9 million. Gabe Roth from Fix the Court emphasized the need for stricter gift acceptance rules for Supreme Court justices to address the ongoing ethics crisis within the Court.
Last year, Justice Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito both requested extensions for filing their disclosure forms. Meanwhile, Democrats have yet to issue subpoenas to Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo, despite authorizing them in November, as reported by ProPublica.