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☆ Clarence Thomas, who has faced scrutiny over his ethics, discusses people who 'bomb your reputation'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. The subsequent uproar resulted in Thomas updating financial disclosures to indicate his ties to the conservative donor. "I think what you are going to find and especially in Washington, people pride themselves on being awful. It is a hideous place as far as I'm concerned," Thomas told his Friday audience, per the AP. Representatives for Thomas and the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: —, Clarence Thomas, he's, Thomas, Justice, Kathryn Kimball Mizelle —, Donald Trump, it's, Harlan Crow, Ginni Thomas Organizations: Service, Circuit Judicial, Associated Press, Business, US, The New York Times, Finance Locations: Clear , Alabama, Washington

☆ Justice Thomas Denounces ‘the Nastiness and the Lies’ Faced by His Family
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Justice Clarence Thomas denounced on Friday “the nastiness and the lies” that have shadowed him in recent years as public scrutiny has mounted over his wife’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election and luxury gifts he has accepted from billionaire friends. It amounted to some of the most extensive public remarks he has made since revelations that he failed to disclose years of lavish trips from wealthy conservatives, like the Texas real estate magnate Harlan Crow, including on private jets and a superyacht. “My wife and I, the last two or three years, just the nastiness and the lies,” said Justice Thomas, who did not specify what he was referring to in addressing a full ballroom of lawyers and judges gathered for a judicial conference in Alabama. “There’s certainly been a lot of negativity in our lives, my wife and I, over the last few years, but we choose not to focus on it.”The justice faced calls for recusal after text messages and emails showed that his wife, Virginia Thomas, known as Ginni, sought to overturn the election, appealing to administration officials and lawmakers. Justice Thomas has continued to participate in a number of cases related to the 2020 election, including three about Jan. 6 on the docket this term.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, “, ”, Thomas, “ There’s, Virginia Thomas, Justice Thomas Locations: Texas, Alabama

☆ Justice Kavanaugh on the Presidency, the Court and Taylor Swift
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Adam Liptak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As the Supreme Court term enters its homestretch, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh shared reflections on presidential power, the court’s popularity and Taylor Swift at a judicial conference in Austin, Texas, on Friday. He did not discuss the many major cases that will be decided by early July, including ones affecting former President Donald J. Trump, abortion and gun rights. He talked about his years as staff secretary to President George W. Bush and the insights they had given him on the pressures of the office of the presidency. “Being a Supreme Court justice is hard, some days. Neither is anything close to being president in terms of the stress, the difficulty, the pressure, day to day, no matter who is president.”

Persons: Brett M, Kavanaugh, Taylor Swift, Donald J, Trump, George W, Bush, “, ” Locations: Austin , Texas

☆ Senate Leaders Look to Curb ‘Judge Shopping’ But In Different Ways
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Plaintiffs in some high-stakes, high-profile cases have found that in some of the country’s federal courts, it’s not hard to cherry pick a sympathetic judge. Such judge shopping, particularly in cases challenging abortion rights and immigration policy, has been drawing increasing scrutiny. Last month, the federal judiciary’s policymaking body called for colleagues to curb the practice by making the assignment of the biggest civil cases random in the 94 federal district courts. Each says that the goal of their respective bills is to eradicate the pursuit of sympathetic judges by savvy litigants. It would end the most targeted form of judge shopping, where plaintiffs game a district’s case-assignment system by filing in a small division staffed by one or two judges.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Schumer’s Organizations: Republican, Judicial Conference Locations: Texas

☆ An Effort to End ‘Judge-Shopping’ Turns Into a ‘Political Firestorm’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Instead, the policy turned out to be guidance, rather than a binding rule. Conservative politicians are encouraging judges to reject it, while Democrats are pushing to make the policy mandatory. And some Texas judges have stated that they will make up their own minds about what to do. “It’s very unusual for a conference policy to become a political firestorm like this,” said Jeremy Fogel, a retired federal judge who served in the Northern District of California. “I think that is unprecedented.”Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, swiftly condemned the new policy, which would deprive conservative activists of a potent weapon in their legal arsenal, one that they have wielded with great success in rolling back abortion rights and some Biden administration policies.

Persons: ”, Jeremy Fogel, ” Mitch McConnell, Biden Organizations: Judicial Conference, Northern District of Locations: Texas, Northern District, Northern District of California

☆ Opinion: Conservatives game the system to drag Supreme Court further into culture war
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Steve Vladeck | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

He is the author of the “One First” Supreme Court newsletter. Both cases were filed in federal district courts in which the plaintiffs could literally hand-pick the specific federal judge who would be assigned to hear the dispute. Indeed, the Supreme Court granted emergency relief in both the social media and mifepristone cases. But the Supreme Court is another matter. For once, the Supreme Court is the victim of right-wing litigation behavior, not the culprit.

Persons: Steve Vladeck, Stephen I, Biden, they’ve, Terry Doughty, Donald Trump, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Trump, —, Neil Gorsuch, Gorsuch Organizations: CNN, University of Texas School of Law, Monroe Division, Court, Western, Western District of, Amarillo Division, Northern, Northern District of, Appeals, Fifth, Fifth Circuit, Democratic, Ninth Circuit, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Securities, Exchange, Conference, United, Northern District of Texas, Judicial, Federal, FDA Locations: Murthy v . Missouri, Monroe, Western District, Western District of Louisiana, Amarillo, Northern District, Northern District of Texas, Orleans, Texas, Austin, West Coast, United States

☆ Texas federal court district rebuffs effort to curb ‘judge-shopping’ tactic
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Judge-shopping is the practice of strategically filing cases in courthouses where the lawsuits are almost guaranteed to be heard by judges perceived to be sympathetic to the litigants. Texas has other US district courts with single-judge divisions, in addition to Amarillo, where challenges to the Biden administration agenda are frequently funneled through. The Judicial Conference announced after an early March meeting that it was seeking to curb the practice of judge-shopping with the new case assignment policy. The announcement prompted blowback from Republican senators, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who argued that any mandated policy would run afoul of a statute passed by Congress that gives each district court the discretion to design its case assignment protocols. When the Judicial Conference released the formal guidance days later, it indicated that the districtwide assignment policy was recommended, but optional.

Persons: David Godbey, Chuck Schumer, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Kacsmaryk, Biden, George W, Bush, Schumer, Godbey, ”, “, ” Schumer, Mitch McConnell Organizations: CNN, US, Court, Northern, Northern District of, New, New York Democrat, Amarillo Division, Judicial Conference, Law360, Judicial, Congress Locations: Texas, Northern District, Northern District of Texas, New York, Northern Texas, Amarillo, “

CNN —A majority of Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical Tuesday of the idea of a nationwide ban or new limits on mifepristone, the primary drug used for medication abortions. At issue in the case are lower-court rulings that would have rolled back recent Food and Drug Administration decisions to ease access to the mifepristone. “What the court did … is enter sweeping nationwide relief that restricts access to mifepristone for every single woman in this country. Some anti-abortion activists see the law as an avenue to end medication abortion, and perhaps all kinds of abortions. Danco’s attorney said that this case was not an appropriate venue for the court to weigh the reach of the Comstock Act.

Persons: Roe, Wade, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, ” Roberts, Erin Hawley, interjected, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s, ”, ” Gorsuch, Biden, …, Elizabeth Prelogar, Brett Kavanaugh, ” Kavanaugh, Prelogar, Ketanji Brown Jackson, “, Jackson, ” Jackson, Amy Coney Barrett, Barrett, Alito, Thomas, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, ” Alito, Mifepristone, Comstock, mifepristone, Matthew Kacsmaryk –, Trump, –, Kacsmaryk Organizations: CNN, Drug Administration, Conservative, FDA, Justice Department, Amarillo Division, Court, Northern, Northern District of, US, US Judicial Locations: mifepristone, FDA’s, Amarillo, Northern District, Northern District of Texas

☆ Federal judiciary clamps down on ‘judge-shopping’ tactics that have helped Texas block Biden and liberal policies
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The policy-making body of the federal judiciary is clamping down on the system that conservatives have successfully used in recent years to hamstring President Joe Biden’s agenda and other federal policies, including those concerning reproductive rights. The new policy seeks to curb “judge-shopping,” the strategy where litigants strategically file lawsuits in courthouses where the cases will be guaranteed to be heard by judges perceived to be sympathetic to their arguments. While the strategy has long been used in patent cases, there been a concerted uptick for politically charged, wide-reaching cases that have been filed in Texas by Republican state attorneys general or conservative, private-sector parties. Under the new policy, such cases seeking nationwide or state-wide orders will go into the lottery system used by the entire district. “The current issue relates to nationwide injunctions or statewide injunctions,” Sutton said at a news conference Tuesday.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, mifepristone, Matthew Kacsmaryk –, Donald Trump, –, ”, Steve Vladeck, Jeffrey Sutton, ” Sutton, it’s Organizations: CNN, Republican, Food, Judicial, United States, Amarillo Division, Court, Northern, Northern District of, University of Texas School of Law Locations: Texas, Amarillo, Northern District, Northern District of Texas

☆ Fani Willis' longtime friend says the DA began dating Nathan Wade years before she hired him — contradicting his affidavit to the court
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The salacious details of the alleged affair between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Wade have temporarily upstaged the charges against Trump and his co-defendants. Nathan Wade, the Georgia prosecutor who admitted to a relationship with his colleague, Fulton County DA Fani Willis, in court recently. "In 2022, District Attorney Willis and I developed a personal relationship in addition to our professional association and friendship," said Wade, according to the court documents. Wade testified that for any trips he and Willis have taken, Willis paid her share. "She's a very independent, proud woman, so she's going to insist that she carries her own weight," Wade told the court of Willis.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Nathan Wade, Fani Willis, Wade, Trump, Willis, Robin Yeartie, Yeartie, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, they've, Robert Cheeley, Attorney Willis, Merchant . Wade, it's Organizations: Service, DA, Business, Fulton County Superior Court, Trump, Merchant, Fulton, Attorney Locations: Fulton County , Georgia, Fulton County, Trump, Trump's Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, Merchant .

☆ Opinion: The Supreme Court code of conduct misses this big thing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Opinion Stephen I. Vladeck | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Stephen I. Vladeck Courtesy of University of Texas School of LawThat mantra was ringing in my head as I reviewed the code of conduct voluntarily adopted by the Supreme Court on Monday, the first such formal code to govern the justices. In adopting these rules, the Supreme Court didn’t address that issue at all. Congress controls when and where the court sits; until 1935, the court sat in the Capitol — a powerful reminder of which branch was beholden to which. But it’s the least-worst alternative to a problem that the Constitution necessarily creates: how to have an independent Supreme Court that is nevertheless at least loosely accountable to the political branches. Accountability and independence aren’t mutually exclusive — something the justices are tacitly conceding by agreeing for the first time to formally adopt a code of conduct.

Persons: Stephen I, Charles Alan Wright, Robert Jackson, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, they’ll, —, ”, John Marshall, it’s, I’ve, couldn’t, aren’t, ” isn’t, shouldn’t, Ronald Reagan Organizations: University of Texas School of Law, CNN, Supreme, Soviet, University of Texas School of, Judicial Conference, United, Congress, Capitol, Democratic, Republicans Locations: United States

The Supreme Court on Monday with neither notice nor fanfare released a code of conduct signed by the nine justices after months of criticism over how the high court handles ethics questions. While lower courts are bound by a code of ethics, which some Supreme Court justices have said they voluntarily comply with, the high court had not been compelled to follow an ethics code. Still, a handful of justices had voiced support for adopting an ethics code independently. Among the principles that each justice has signed onto include provisions on outside influence, financial activities and fundraising, political activity and recusal. Outlining a clear recusal process was among congressional Democrats’ priorities, as they cited reports of outside influence that they believed would warrant in some cases the justices’ recusal.

Persons: “, ’ recusal, ” Organizations: Judicial

☆ Why the Trump trials should be on camera
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Zachary Wolf | Analysis Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —If you were to dream up a hypothetical case that demanded cameras in federal courts, it would be United States of America v. Donald J. Trump. The importance the coming four criminal trials will play in the 2024 election cannot be overstated. Supreme Court justices, as we’ve previously written in this newsletter, frequently endorse the idea of cameras in the courtroom right up until they get that lifetime Supreme Court appointment. In the Senate, there is a bipartisan proposal to require the Supreme Court to allow cameras in its courtroom. That’s not exactly what we’re talking about with the criminal trials of Trump in the lower federal court, but it does suggest bipartisan openness to the issue of making courts more transparent.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Arthur Engoron, it’s, —, Biden, ”, Tanya Chutkan, Chutkan, Laura Coates, “, Jack Smith, Gabe Roth, John Roberts, Mike Johnson, That’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, he’s, New, The New York Times, Siena College, Washington , D.C, Media, Broadcasting, Judicial Conference, Supreme Locations: United States, America, New York, Georgia, Washington ,, —, Arizona , Georgia, Michigan, Nevada , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Washington , DC

☆ 2 prominent conservative judges have quashed an investigation into their former clerk — and friend of Clarence Thomas — for texting 'I hate black people'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementThe federal courts have spiked an investigation into racist text messages sent by a conservative activist-turned-law clerk who got jobs working alongside two federal judges with the full-throated support of Clarence Thomas . She also landed clerkships with two federal judges — Judge Corey Maze, a federal district judge in Alabama, and Judge William Pryor, an influential appellate judge. Last year, a federal judicial panel ordered that an investigation take place into whether Clanton actually sent the texts. After finishing law school, Clanton clerked for Maze, a federal judge in Anniston, Alabama from 2022 to 2023. Judge Debra Livington, the Second Circuit's chief judge, wrote in 2022 that Judges Pryor and Maze simply concluded that the New Yorker's reporting wasn't true.

Persons: Crystal Clanton, Clarence Thomas, —, Charlie Kirk's, Donald Trump's, Clanton, Clarence, Ginni Thomas, Corey Maze, William Pryor, Pryor, Maze, William Hodes, Clarence Thomas's, Mediaite, George Mason University's Antonin Scalia, Thomas, Pryor didn't, Jane Mayer, Judge Pryor, clerkships, Debra Livington, she'd, Charlie Kirk, Gabby Fe, Jack Newsham Organizations: Service, Fox News, New Yorker, Washington Post, Starbucks, George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School, Atlanta, Circuit, Appeals, Media, Second Circuit, Judicial, Judicial Conference, Yorker Locations: Alabama, America, Anniston , Alabama, New York

She said she still personally follows the formal canons of conduct that applied to her when she was an appeals court judge — which don't apply to the Supreme Court — and that her fellow justices do the same. Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesBut when asked by her host, former Law School Dean Robert Stein, how long it might take the Supreme Court to reach consensus about what its own ethics code should be, Barrett demurred. Kagan declared her support for an ethics code for the Supreme Court at a conference in Oregon in August. Alito said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal in July, after Democrats pushed Supreme Court ethics legislation through a Senate committee, that Congress lacks the constitutional authority to impose a code of ethics on the high court. ___Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

Persons: Amy Coney Barrett, Barrett, —, ” Barrett, ”, Law School Dean Robert Stein, Barrett demurred, “, Stein, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Antonin Scalia, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Roberts, Barrett's, Sean Colfer, Barrett doesn't, Donald Trump, Roe, Wade, Thomas, Kagan, Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, ___, Trisha Ahmed, Ahmed Organizations: — U.S, Supreme, Law School, ” Police, Associated Press, Wall Street, Democrats, U.S, Associated, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: MINNEAPOLIS, Wisconsin, Oregon, Minnesota

☆ Supreme Court returns for first private meeting of the term amid even more controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Ariane De Vogue | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The Supreme Court returns to Washington to face a new term and the fresh reality that critics increasingly view the court as a political body. Earlier this year, Roberts declined an invitation to appear before the Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss Supreme Court ethics, citing separation of powers concerns. Even if he did believe a formal ethics code is necessary, it’s unclear whether he would need a unanimous vote to move forward. Instead, they say, critics of the court are manufacturing a controversy to delegitimize the institution and staunch the flow of conservative opinions. Last week, she told an audience in Indiana that she thought it would be a “good” idea if the court were to adapt the ethics code used by lower court justices to fit the Supreme Court.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Roe, Wade, John Roberts, Roberts, Joe Biden’s, ”, Justice Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, “, ” Kagan, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, ” Cate Stetson, Hogan Lovells, Dick Durbin, Durbin, recuses, Carrie Severino, Alito, forthrightly, ” Alito, “ I’ve, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Conservative, Cato Institute, Democrat, Judicial, Crisis Network Locations: Washington, Congress, Indiana, Lake Geneva , Wisconsin, Ohio

☆ A 96-year-old judge has been suspended after a bitter fight that rocked a key federal court
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Staff said Judge Pauline Newman, 96, was "losing it, mentally" after 39 years on the bench. "Judge Newman and her counsel have aggressively sought to discredit this entire process by trying their case in the press while conjuring a narrative of 'hostile,' 'disrespect[ful],' and 'appalling' treatment marked by exercises of 'raw power,' all borne out of 'personal animosity' for Judge Newman," the decision said. Since March, Judge Newman's unusually public dispute with her fellow judges has rocked the Federal Circuit. He has said disagreements between the judge and staff don't come close to showing "disability." AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Federal Circuit appeals court, where Newman has been a judge since 1984, was created to hear cases in niche areas of federal law, like patents and government contracts.

Persons: Pauline Newman, Newman, she's, Judge Newman, Judge Newman's, Kimberly Moore —, Wednesday's, Greg Dolin, They've, we've Organizations: Service, Federal Circuit, Washington Post, Bloomberg Law, Judicial Locations: Wall, Silicon

CLEVELAND (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh told a judicial conference on Thursday he hopes there will be “concrete steps soon” to address recent ethics concerns surrounding the court, but he stopped short of addressing calls for justices to institute an official code of conduct. We’re working on that,” Kavanaugh told the conference attended by judges, attorneys and other court personnel in Ohio. He said all nine justices recognize that public confidence in the court is important, particularly now. Kavanaugh, 58, is one of three justices nominated by former President Donald Trump who have reshaped the court in recent years. Kavanaugh took questions from Jeffrey Sutton and Stephanie Dawkins Davis, chief judge and judge, respectively, of the 6th U.S.

Persons: Brett Kavanaugh, ”, ” Kavanaugh, Roe, Wade, “, Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, ProPublica, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Kavanaugh, Donald Trump, Dobbs, Jeffrey Sutton, Stephanie Dawkins Davis, They’re Organizations: CLEVELAND, —, Republican, Associated Press, AP, U.S, Circuit Locations: Ohio, America, Alaska, Alabama

☆ Clarence Thomas says he flew on private jets because of safety concerns after the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade leaked
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Clarence Thomas claims that he needed to use private jets in the wake of the Dobbs decision leak. Thomas' use of private jets and acceptance of lavish trips has received significant scrutiny. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. Protestors later marched by the conservative justices' homes in the DC area following the leak and later the Supreme Court's final opinion that reversed Roe v. Wade. In the face of criticism, Thomas has argued that he did nothing wrong by failing to previously report his trips with Crow and others.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Dobbs, Thomas, Harlan Crow, Samuel Alito's, John Roberts, Roe, Brett Kavanaugh, Crow, filer Organizations: Service, Administrative, Congressional, Wade, Supreme, Judicial Locations: Wall, Silicon

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses during a group portrait at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., October 7, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas took private jet flights provided by billionaire Texas businessman Harlan Crow, according to a 2022 financial disclosure report made public on Thursday. Thomas listed trips by private jet to Dallas, Texas for a conference and to a property in the Adirondacks in upstate New York. He has faced scrutiny after revelations that he had not disclosed luxury trips paid for by the wealthy benefactor. The Judicial Conference, the policymaking body for the federal judiciary, has tightened its regulations to require disclosure of private jet trips.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Evelyn Hockstein, Harlan Crow, Thomas, Samuel Alito, Alito, Andrew Chung, John Kruzel, Chizu Nomiyama, Andy Sullivan Organizations: Supreme, REUTERS, Rights, Judicial, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Dallas , Texas, New York, Washington

☆ Clarence Thomas Supreme Court financial disclosure shows flights paid for by GOP megadonor
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is seen in his chambers at the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S. June 6, 2016. Jonathan Ernst | ReutersSupreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said Republican megadonor Harlan Crow paid for his travel expenses and meals on at least three occasions last year, according to the justice's new financial disclosure report released Thursday. Crow flew Thomas back to Dallas in May of that year for the same purpose, according to the filing. Crow also paid for Thomas' flights to and from the Adirondack Mountains by private plane over a week in mid-July 2022. Thomas' report said that the flights and "lodging, food, and entertainment at the Adirondacks property" were reported in compliance with updated guidance from the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Jonathan Ernst, Harlan Crow, Thomas, Crow, ProPublica, Topridge Organizations: Supreme, U.S, Reuters, Republican, American Enterprise Institute ., Dallas, Judicial Conference Locations: Washington , U.S, Dallas, Adirondacks, United States

CNN —Justice Clarence Thomas disclosed Thursday that Republican megadonor Harlan Crow paid for private jet trips for Thomas in 2022 to attend a speech in Texas and a vacation at Crow’s luxurious New York estate, as ethics questions continue to rock the Supreme Court. Thomas made the disclosures after receiving an extension to file the yearly reports that were originally due in May 2023. In a statement after the ProPublica report, Thomas acknowledged the friendship but stressed that Crow did not have business before the court. In addition, he said that he should have disclosed a 2014 private real estate deal between Crow, Thomas and members of Thomas’ family. According to the disclosure, Thomas flew down to be the keynote speaker of the event in February, but returned via private jet “due to an unexpected ice storm.”The talk was rescheduled in May and Thomas rode round trip on Crow’s plane.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, Thomas, Dobbs, Roe, Wade, “, Crow, Samuel Alito, ProPublica, Thomas ’, ” Thomas, Virginia Thomas, Leola Williams, Williams, VII, –, Elliot S, Berke, Thomas “, ”, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Chip Somodevilla, Elena Kagan, Alito, ” Alito, Gabe Roth, he’s, ” Roth, Rome Alito, Duke Organizations: CNN, Republican, Judicial Conference, Old Parkland Conference, Hoover Institution, Manhattan Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Black Americans, Crow Holdings, Democrats, Supreme, Capitol, Rhode Island, Wall Street, Notre Dame, School’s, Liberty Initiative, Religious Liberty Summit, Regent University School of Law, Duke Law School Locations: Texas, New York, Georgia, Savannah , Georgia, Washington ,, Rome

☆ Justice Amy Coney Barrett arranged for someone to sing songs from 'Hamilton' at Ketanji Brown Jackson's welcome party
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett said she threw a welcome party for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Barrett told a judicial conference that she arranged for someone to sing "Hamilton" tunes at the bash, CNN reported. Jackson made history last year when she became the first Black woman Supreme Court justice. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. Since Barrett's elevation to the high court, the Supreme Court has been rocked by high-profile ethics issues involving members of the court, which was not specfically brought up during the talk.

Persons: Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Barrett, Hamilton, Jackson, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Joe Biden, Barrett —, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, —, I've, Donald Trump, specfically, Clarence Thomas, ProPublica, megadonor Harlan Crow, Thomas, Samuel Alito Organizations: Justice, CNN, Service, Associated Press, Appeals, Circuit, Senate, Democrats Locations: Wall, Silicon, Wisconsin

☆ Two Justices Clash on Congress’s Power Over Supreme Court Ethics
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Adam Liptak | More About Adam Liptak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A few days later, at a judicial conference in Portland, Ore., Justice Kagan took the opposite view, though she cautioned that The Journal had not reproduced the question that had prompted Justice Alito’s answer. “Of course Congress can regulate various aspects of what the Supreme Court does,” she said, ticking off a list of ways in which lawmakers can act. It can increase or shrink the size of the court, and it has over the years done both. Indeed, the Constitution provides that the court has appellate jurisdiction “with such exceptions, and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.”All of this is unsurprising, Justice Kagan said. She did not offer an opinion on the narrower question of whether Congress may impose a code of ethics on the justices, but she said the court remained free to act.

Persons: Justice Kagan, Alito’s, ” Locations: Portland ,

☆ US Supreme Court's Clarence Thomas enjoyed array of luxury perks, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Andrew Chung | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses during a group portrait at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., October 7, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been treated to far more luxury vacations and exclusive perks from wealthy patrons than previously known, news organization ProPublica reported on Thursday, raising more questions about the lack of binding ethical standards at the court. At least twice, the late billionaire businessman Wayne Huizenga sent his personal 737 jet to pick Thomas up and bring him to South Florida, ProPublica reported. Unlike other members of the federal judiciary, the life-tenured justices have no binding ethics code of conduct, though they are subject to certain financial disclosure laws. At an event in May, Roberts said the court is considering steps to "adhere to the highest standards of conduct."

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Evelyn Hockstein, ProPublica, Thomas, Wayne Huizenga, Harlan Crow, Roe, Wade, John Roberts, Samuel Alito recuses, Alito, Roberts, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: Supreme, REUTERS, Democratic, Committee, Judicial Conference, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Florida, Jamaica, South Florida, Dallas, Alaska

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