Last month, the federal judiciary bolstered disclosure requirements for all judges, including Supreme Court justices - but overnight stays at personal vacation homes owned by their friends remain exempt from disclosure. How hard could it be for Clarence Thomas, the longest-serving Supreme Court justice, to figure out how to follow financial disclosure law? Opinion Calmes: Why are we stuck with a Supreme Court justice who doesn’t follow the law? ![]() Thomas did not name the justices or those in the judiciary with whom he had consulted. Thomas said in a statement that he was advised by colleagues that “this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable.” But the 2014 real estate deal is the first public record of a direct financial transaction between Crow and Justice Thomas.Įthics experts have offered conflicting views about whether Thomas was required to disclose the luxury trips funded by Crow. ProPublica also revealed that Crow gifted Thomas and his wife, conservative activist Ginni Thomas, with hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of annual vacations and trips over several decades - including international cruises on his mega-yacht, private jet flights and stays at Crow’s invitation-only resort in New York’s Adirondacks. ProPublica reported on Thomas’ undisclosed private jet and yacht trips, now it says he failed to disclose real estate transactions. Opinion Abcarian: What Clarence Thomas calls hospitality looks a lot more like corruption “Make no mistake: Roberts’ statement is nowhere near an appropriate response to the ethical failures of the current Court,” Roth said in a statement. Gabe Roth, executive director of the transparency group Fix the Court, said the justices’ statements rehashed inadequate ethical standards. “That same Justice failed to disclose the sale of properties he partly owned to a party with interests before the Supreme Court.”ĭurbin said he would proceed with the hearing, which would “review common sense proposals” to hold justices more accountable to ethics guidelines. “The actions of one Justice, including trips on yachts and private jets, were not reported to the public,” Durbin said. Politics Justice Clarence Thomas says he will disclose more about future free tripsĪfter ProPublica disclosed his lavish trips courtesy of GOP donor Harlan Crow, the Supreme Court justice says he’ll follow clarified rules and disclose some of the value of future trips.ĭurbin said in a statement that he was surprised by the court’s response, because it “suggests current law is adequate and ignores the obvious.” ![]() ![]() While the rules are not new, the statement said that the undersigned justices “today reaffirm and restate foundational ethics principles and practices to which they subscribe in carrying out their responsibilities as Members of the Supreme Court of the United States.” In a letter to Durbin on Tuesday, Roberts said he would “respectfully decline” the committee’s request, noting: “Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee by the Chief Justice of the United States is exceedingly rare, as one might expect in light of separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence.”Īccompanying his letter to Durbin was a “Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices” signed by all nine justices, describing the ethical rules they follow about travel, gifts and outside income. In response, Thomas stopped disclosing them. After that he stopped disclosing themĪ 2004 Los Angeles Times report disclosed gifts to Justice Thomas from rich Texan Harlan Crow. Politics Los Angeles Times reported about Justice Thomas’ gifts 20 years ago.
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