Clarence Thomas formally discloses trips with GOP donor as Supreme Court justices file new financial reports

Washington – Justice Clarence Thomas formally revealed two trips he took on Republican megadonor Harlan Crow in 2019, according to his 2023 financial disclosure report, released publicly Friday.

O report, filed by Thomas on May 15, included an amendment to his 2019 disclosure form to list two trips he took with Crow in July of that year. The first, for Bali, lists Thomas as a guest of Harlan and Kathy Crow. The minister reported having received food and accommodation in a hotel.

The second trip, to Monte Rio, California, for three days in July 2019, again lists Thomas as a guest at Crow’s. He said he received food and lodging at a private club.

The information was “inadvertently omitted at the time of filing,” according to Thomas’ latest annual disclosure form. It notes that the minister “sought and received guidance from his accountant and ethics lawyer” in preparing his 2023 report.

Financial disclosure reports for eight of the nine sitting judges were released to the public on Friday. Justice Samuel Alito requested and received a 90-day extension to record his disclosure, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

Financial Disclosures of Supreme Court Justices

Disclosures show that judge Ketanji Brown Jackson received four concert tickets from singer Beyoncé, valued at US$3,711. She also received artwork for her living quarters valued at $10,000 and $2,500. Thomas’ report states he received two photo albums worth $2,000.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh did not receive any gifts last year, according to their reports.

The reports are submitted annually to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and reflect the judge’s external positions, income, reimbursements, gifts, and investments for the previous calendar year. The financial disclosures generated renewed interest following reports by media outlet ProPublica last year detailing trips Thomas accepted from Crow, including to Bali, and real estate dealings between the two, which had not been listed in previous court reports. .

Thomas had said last year that didn’t believe he had to publicize the trip and pledged to comply with guidelines on personal hospitality issued last year by the Judicial Conference, the regulatory body for federal courts. The Justice report for 2022 listed flights Thomas took aboard Crow’s private plane, as well as lodging at his Adirondacks estate. Thomas also provided details about a 2014 real estate transaction with Crow that ProPublica revealed.

Its 2023 report did not include any reimbursements for lodging, transportation, food or entertainment.

Revelations about Thomas’s relationship with Crow, a Texas real estate developer, have sparked a political firestorm over ethical practices at the Supreme Court and led to calls for the nation’s highest court to adopt a binding code of conduct.

The Senate Judiciary Committee launched an investigation into the matter and advanced legislation this would require the Supreme Court to adopt an applicable code of ethics. The Democratic Committee also authorized subpoenas to Crow and Leonard Leo, a conservative judicial activist. The subpoena for Leo was issued in April, and he refused to comply. A spokesperson for Crow said he had not received any.

The Supreme Court adopted a formal code of conduct in November, although it did not include an enforcement mechanism.

The court’s unilateral action did little to curb scrutiny of the judges. Controversy broke last month about two flags that were displayed outside Alito’s homes in Virginia and New Jersey. The first, an upside-down American flag, was seen outside Alito’s Virginia residence in early January 2021. The second, an “Appeal to Heaven” flag, was displayed outside his vacation home in New Jersey summer 2023.

Alito rejected calls of Democratic congressmen from two cases involving former President Donald Trump and said he was not involved in the screenings. He said the flags were raised by his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, and neither of them knew their meaning. Both types were transported by rioters who violated the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021and became associated with the “Stop the Steal” movement.