US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has formally disclosed two luxury vacations sponsored by conservative billionaire and Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow. The vacations, which took place in 2019, were added as an amendment to Thomas’ 2019 financial disclosure form, having been “inadvertently omitted at the time of filing.” These vacations included trips to Bali, Indonesia, and Monte Rio, California, during which Justice Thomas enjoyed free food and lodging provided by Crow.
The disclosure is part of a larger annual report concerning the financial disclosures of high court justices. Other noteworthy disclosures include Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson reporting concert tickets from Beyoncé worth $3,711 and a book advance of at least $893,000 from Penguin Random House. Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh also disclosed significant book royalties and teaching income.
Justice Thomas’ relationship with Crow has been under scrutiny since a ProPublica report revealed that Thomas had failed to disclose various gifts from Crow, including vacations, private jet flights, and tuition payments for his great nephew. This sparked debates over judicial independence and potential conflicts of interest. The fallout contributed to record low public confidence in the judiciary and prompted calls for ethics reforms within the Supreme Court.
In August, Thomas disclosed three additional vacations from Crow taken in 2022 and later reports indicated he had attended secret donor events for a libertarian organization founded by the Koch brothers. Despite these revelations, Thomas has publicly described himself as preferring “RV parks” and “the Walmart parking lots” over luxurious beach settings, a sentiment seemingly contradicted by these disclosures. In response to growing concerns, the court adopted a new ethics code last November and Congress has been deliberating an ethics reform bill for the Supreme Court.
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