Hi,
Another stunning bombshell report has broken exposing jaw-dropping
corruption at the U.S. Supreme Court.
For over two decades, Justice Clarence Thomas has secretly accepted luxury
vacations from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow — from superyacht tours
around the globe to annual stays at an exclusive resort in the
Adirondacks.^1
These lavish trips have no precedent in modern Supreme Court history. And
since 1997, Thomas hasn’t disclosed a penny of them — breaking not just
ethical norms but likely also the law.
This is outrageous, flagrant corruption. We’ve mobilized more than 200,000
people to ask Congress to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and
Transparency Act, which would require the nation’s highest court to follow
basic rules of disclosure and recusal. Now, in the wake of these stunning
new revelations about Thomas, we must demand action now.
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work, including holding Justice Clarence Thomas accountable?
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In 2004, the Los Angeles Times revealed how Thomas reported receiving far
more gifts than any of his fellow justices, including a flight on Crow’s
private plane to an exclusive all-male resort.
But rather than reject offers of future trips from Crow, Thomas simply
stopped reporting them.^2
Thomas almost certainly broke the law by hiding these vacations. But he’s
not the only justice under scrutiny.
Recent reports show corporations have also funneled huge donations into a
nonprofit connected to the court to try to curry favor with the
justices.^3 High-powered D.C. law firms paid Jane Roberts, the wife of
Chief Justice John Roberts, millions of dollars in commissions for her
work as legal recruiter.^4 The list goes on.
There are no rules regarding when Supreme Court justices must recuse
themselves or even reveal potential conflicts of interest in instances
like these.^5 Despite promising to “seriously study” the issue, the
justices recently refused to adopt a code of ethics.^6
The Senate must hold a hearing to investigate Justice Clarence Thomas. And
no one on the court can be trusted to police themselves.
That’s why we need to double down on Congress to demand action.
[ [link removed] ]Will you donate $10 today to help urge Congress to pass a code of
ethics for the Supreme Court, and push for other key reforms?
[ [link removed] ]DONATE
Sources:
1. ProPublica, "Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire," [ [link removed] ]April 7, 2023.
2. Los Angeles Times, "Los Angeles Times reported about Justice Thomas’
gifts 20 years ago. After that he stopped disclosing them," [ [link removed] ]April 6,
2023.
3. The New York Times, "A Charity Tied to the Supreme Court Offers Donors
Access to the Justices," [ [link removed] ]January 1, 2023.
4. The New York Times, "At the Supreme Court, Ethics Questions Over a
Spouse’s Business Ties," [ [link removed] ]January 31, 2023.
5. Brennan Center for Justice, "Brennan Center Urges Supreme Court
Justices to Adopt a Code of Ethics," [ [link removed] ]September 24, 2019.
6. The Washington Post, "Supreme Court justices discussed, but did not
agree on, code of conduct," [ [link removed] ]February 9, 2023.
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