WASHINGTON (AP) — Almost 2 years of research By Democratic Senators supreme court Detailed explanation of luxury travel by justice in ethics clarence thomas and urges Congress to establish a method for enforcing the new law. code of conduct.
Any movement on the issue is unlikely as Republicans prepare to take control of the Senate majority in January. public trust The number of cases in court has fallen to record lows.
A 93-page report released Saturday by the Democratic majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee revealed additional travel Thomas took in 2021 but was not reported on his annual financial disclosure form. That included a private jet flight to New York’s Adirondacks and a jet and yacht trip to New York in July. Sponsored by New York City Billionaire Harlan Crowe In October, one of more than 20 reports detailed Thomas receiving lavish trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors.
The court adopted the first option Code of Ethics It will take effect in 2023, but compliance will be up to each of the nine justices.
“The highest court in the land cannot have the lowest ethical standards,” said the committee’s chairman, an Illinois senator. dick durbin said in a statement. He has long called for an enforceable code of ethics.
Republicans protested subpoena He authorized Crowe and others as part of the investigation. Not a single Republican signed on to the final report, and no formal report from Republicans was expected.
A spokesperson for Mr. Crowe said that Mr. Crowe voluntarily agreed to provide information for the investigation, but that no specific instances of undue influence were identified. Crowe said in a statement that Thomas and his wife, Gini, had been unfairly vilified. “They are good and honorable people and no one should be treated this way,” he said.
Mark Paoletta, a longtime friend of Thomas and an appointee to the incoming Trump administration, said the report was aimed at conservative Democrats who disagree with the ruling.
“This entire investigation was never about ‘ethics’, but an attempt to undermine the Supreme Court,” Paoletta said in a statement published in X.
The court did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Thomas said he did not have to disclose any trips he and his wife took with Crowe because the major donor was a close family friend and disclosure of such travel was not previously required. . The new code of ethics explicitly requires it, and Thomas subsequently returned home and reported his trip.
The report goes back to the judiciary. antonin scaliaHe said he had “established a habit” of accepting private gifts and hundreds of trips during his decades on the bench. The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and retired Justice Stephen Breyer also agreed to travel, but they disclosed this in their annual report.
The investigation found that Mr. Thomas had received gifts and travel from wealthy benefactors worth more than $4.75 million by some estimates since his 1991 admission, much of which he did not disclose. . “The number, value, and extravagance of gifts received by Judge Thomas are unparalleled in modern American history,” the report said.
Also, 2008 Luxury Travel Justice takes me to Alaska Samuel Alito. He said he was exempt from disclosing the trip under previous ethics rules.
Alito also rejected calls to withdraw from the following cases: donald trump or January 6, 2021Flags associated with the riot were seen flying at two of Alito’s homes, and the Capitol was stormed. Alito says the flag looked like this: raised By this wife.
Mr. Thomas has also ignored calls to recuse himself from lawsuits involving Mr. Trump. Ginny Thomas supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which the Republican Party lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
The report also pointed to judicial scrutiny. Sonia Sotomayorshe made progress with the help of staff her book sales Through university visits over the past 10 years. The judge has also heard cases involving book publishers and cases involving companies in which the judge owned stock.
Biden is the most prominent Democrat calling for a binding code of conduct. justice Elena Kaganpublicly supports employing enforcement mechanisms, although some ethics experts say may be legally difficult.
justice Neil Gorsuch He recently cited this code while leaving a meeting. environmental issues. Gorsuch was facing calls to resign because it could end up benefiting a Colorado billionaire he represented before becoming a judge.
The report also calls for changes to the Judicial Council, the federal court oversight body headed by the Chief Justice. John Robertsfurther investigation by Congress.
