By Richard Mendoza, Zoha Jan, Vincent Medina and Will Wyman
April 12, 2023
On April 6, 2023, writers for ProPublica released an article exclaiming that supreme court justice Clarence Thomas accepted luxury gifts, including fully-paid vacations for him and his wife from billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow without disclosing them. This came after just several weeks ago the committee of the Judicial Conference responsible for financial disclosure for the federal judiciary announced federal judges will need to disclose when they receive gifts or personal hospitality among other restrictions. Due to the changes made by the committee of the Judicial Conference, Justice Thomas stated “it is, of course, my intent to follow this guidance in the future.”
Discussions for introduction of a written code of ethics for The Supreme Court echoed louder as the news of Thomas’s failure to disclose information related to lavish gifts hit the news. In a response to the article, Justice Thomas announced “Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable.” Thomas referred to billionaire donor Crow and his wife as “among our dearest friends,” and acted on the guidance he received to not have to report vacation trips funded by Harlan Crow.
On Monday, April 10, 2023, democrats on the Senate Judiciary commission announced plans to hold a hearing on the situation surrounding Justice Thomas and the Supreme Court’s ethical standards.” The planned hearings have added pressure to Chief Justice John Roberts for an internal investigation within the Court.
The pair have been friends for decades, but the relationship did not start until Thomas began his tenure as a Supreme Court Justice. The timing of the relationship and nature of the exchange have caused concerns of the public losing faith in the Court. Last May, a leaked draft of a Supreme Court majority decision on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case leaked to the public. This raised questions over the security and public trust in the Court. Thomas’ relationship with an outsider with a vested political interest and financial power has only compounded these fears.
Thomas is commonly regarded as the most conservative Justice in the Court, so his close bond with Crow has made some question whether or not the Justice has been influenced by his friend. Crow has donated $12 million to various Republican campaigns dating back to the 70’s, according to the Federal Election Commission. These include donations to Republican politicians Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, as well as $725,000 to the super PAC Senate Leadership Fund, which has ties to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Democrats in the Senate are pushing for action against the alleged conflict of interest.
