The hits keep coming for ethics-challenged Justice Clarence Thomas. At a time when the credibility and objectivity of the Supreme Court are under attack, Thomas seems intent on demonstrating why public skepticism of the court is so richly merited. Court judges across the country at every other level of the justice system are bound by strict and enforceable ethics rules — but no such enforcement applies to the nation’s highest court, a fact that Thomas seems keenly aware of.
According to recent reports, Thomas has maintained an overly cozy financial relationship with Texas billionaire and GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow. It’s not clear whether Crow had any business indirectly before the court, but his vast wealth and political ties could not have gone unnoticed by Thomas as he was wined and dined. The mere appearance of a conflict of interest should have been enough for Thomas to decline such gifts. Instead, Thomas wallowed in them.
ProPublica reported early this month that Thomas and his wife, Ginni, were the guests on Crow’s private jet immediately after the Supreme Court wrapped up its 2019 term. The jet whisked them away to Indonesia, where they enjoyed nine days of vacation aboard Crow’s yacht. ProPublica estimated the value of the gift at $500,000. Thomas didn’t disclose any of it.
