Lieutenant Justice Clarence Thomas poses for a group photo of judges at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021.
Erin Schaff | Poole | Poole | Reuters
The Democratic majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday called for an investigation into the actions of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after the incident. report revealed that he had failed to disclose Years of luxury travel funded by Republican mega-donors.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts should launch an “immediate” supervised investigation into “how such conduct was committed.” read the letter From Illinois Speaker Dick Durbin and 10 other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In a letter, the committee said it would hold hearings “in the near future” on “the need to restore confidence in the Supreme Court’s ethical standards.”
Democrats also warned that they would “consider legislation to resolve” the issue if the High Court did not resolve it alone.
The letter came three days after Thomas told him had been advised Earlier in his tenure as a Supreme Court justice, he said, “Personal hospitality of this kind from a close personal friend who did not work on the court was not subject to report.”
“I have endeavored to follow that advice during my tenure and have always endeavored to adhere to its disclosure guidelines,” Thomas said in a statement.
The 74-year-old judge, who has served on the U.S. Supreme Court since 1991, has been accepting expensive trips for more than 20 years from wealthy Republican donor Harlan Crow, ProPublica reported last Thursday. was responding to
Crow told ProPublica, “The hospitality I have extended to the Thomas family over the years is no different than the one I have extended to many other dear friends.” 162-foot superyacht, a flight on a Republican donor’s private jet, and a stay at his luxury resort.
The investigation, which cited a series of documents and interviews, also cited ethics experts who said Thomas appeared to have violated disclosure laws by failing to report the trip. An ethics expert said Thomas: may not have Travel must be reported under the rules in force prior to travel. last month update.
Thomas’ statement said the reporting guidelines are “currently changing because last month the Judiciary Council committee responsible for financial disclosures across the federal justice system issued new guidance. And, of course, we intend to follow it.” It’s a guide.”
A letter from the Senate Judiciary Committee to Roberts said Thomas’ failure to report the trip was “clearly inconsistent with the ethical standards that the American public expects of anyone in a position of public trust.” Stated.
The letter comes after Senate-majority Senator Durbin called for a “mandatory code of conduct” to be imposed on judges who are not bound by the same ethical rules followed by other federal judges.
