When judges make friends with billionaires

Thomas is one of nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. He has served there since 1991 and is currently the longest-serving justice. In a documentary funded by Republican real estate billionaire Harlan Crow, Thomas described himself as a no-frills, no-frills person. He said he likes to travel by coach and prefers Walmart parking lots to the beach.

However, ProPublica, based in New York City, told a story that contradicted Mr. Thomas’s previous statement. According to ProPublica, Mr. Thomas’s friendship with Mr. Crow allowed the judge to experience luxuries that he would never be able to afford on his $285,000-a-year salary. The investigative journalism organization stated: “The extent and frequency of Mr. Crow’s gift-giving to Mr. Thomas is unprecedented in the modern history of the U.S. Supreme Court.”

ProPublica’s report, which drew on information from multiple sources including flight records and interviews with several people, from superyacht employees to members of the Bohemian Club, a gathering place for wealthy men, revealed that Judge Thomas flew on a Bombardier Global 5000 and vacationed on Crow’s superyacht.

Thomas also enjoys vacations at Crow’s ranch in Texas and joins him at meetings in California. In 2019, Thomas and his wife flew to Indonesia and cruised the islands on Crow’s yacht for nine days, a trip that can cost more than $500,000. Every summer, Thomas spends about a week at Crow’s private resort in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. The resort has a boathouse, tennis courts, and a replica of Hagrid’s hut from the “Harry Potter” books.

Inside the resort, there is a painting of Mr. Thomas, billionaire Crow and conservative lawyers smoking cigars outdoors. During the 2017 trip, guests at the resort included Republican donors, CEOs of many major corporations and leaders of the American Enterprise Institute.

ProPublica’s revelations prompted harsh criticism from Democrats. “This behavior is unbecoming of any American public official, let alone a Supreme Court justice,” said Dick Durbin, R-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “ProPublica’s reporting is a call to action, and the Senate Judiciary Committee will act.”

Echoing Durbin, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: “This goes beyond partisanship. The level of corruption is shocking, almost caricature. Thomas must be impeached.”

In response to ProPublica’s allegations, according to CNN, Judge Thomas acknowledged that he had participated in luxury trips funded by Crow and had not disclosed them because he was advised that they did not need to be reported. In a statement sent through the Supreme Court’s information office, Thomas said the trips he and his wife took with the Crows were “personal hospitality from close friends.”

Meanwhile, billionaire Crow also denied trying to influence the decisions of the US Supreme Court. The businessman said that he and his wife have been friends of Mr. Thomas's family since 1996. Mr. Crow emphasized that the hospitality he and his wife have shown to Mr. Thomas's family over the years is no different from the hospitality they show to other close friends.

“We have never asked about a pending or lower court case, and Judge Thomas has never discussed the case,” Crow said. “We have never sought to influence Judge Thomas on any legal or political issue.”

ProPublica’s report comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is under increased scrutiny over ethics issues, with critics calling for the justices to adopt a code of conduct and adhere to stricter financial reporting rules.

According to Business Insider, ethics experts and former and current judges that ProPublica spoke to said Thomas violated normal judicial conduct by accepting lavish trips and may have broken the law by failing to disclose information in his annual financial filings.

LAM ANH

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