According to a recent media report by ProPublica, Clarence Thomas, a conservative Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, has allegedly been accepting luxury trips from a wealthy Dallas businessman named Harlan Crow for many years. Despite a federal law mandating disclosing most gifts, Thomas has not publicly disclosed these trips. Senate Democrats are now calling for an investigation into the matter. ProPublica found that Thomas has taken numerous vacations with Crow, including on his private jet and superyacht in the U.S. and abroad. The report states that the frequency and scale of the gifts have no precedent in the modern history of the Supreme Court.
There was no immediate response from Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts to a request for comment regarding the report, which has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest involving the justices and the U.S. Supreme Court. The court has faced mounting criticism for its lack of a formal ethics code. According to a statement from Crow, he and his wife have been friends with Thomas and his wife since 1996 and have never tried to influence Justice Thomas on legal or political matters. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin said his panel would take action based on the report but did not specify its steps. Durbin, a Democrat, argued that the Supreme Court should be held to the same enforceable code of conduct as other federal judges, who are instructed to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Roberts previously stated that justices consult that code to assess their ethical obligations. Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse called on Roberts to ensure a comprehensive investigation, saying that this situation requires independent scrutiny that only the Supreme Court can provide. Gabe Roth, the head of the reform group Fix the Court, suggested that lawmakers need to lead an effort to reconsider the court's responsibilities regarding basic oversight measures.
The recent report by ProPublica is the latest development to raise concerns about the ethics of Justice Clarence Thomas. In previous instances, questions were raised about his impartiality due to his wife, Virginia "Ginni" Thomas's involvement in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and his decision not to recuse himself from election-related cases.
According to legal ethics experts cited by ProPublica, Thomas's failure to disclose the luxury trips provided by Crow violates federal law, which requires judges, justices, and federal officials to disclose most gifts.
Thomas, widely regarded as the court's most conservative member, was appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush in October 1991 for a lifetime term on the bench.
