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☆ Clarence Thomas's first public scandal came in 1980, when he was a no-name aide to a GOP senator and complained to a journalist that his sister just waited by the mailbox for her welfare check
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In 1980, 32-year-old Clarence Thomas was a no-name aide to a Republican senator. At a conference for Black conservatives, he complained to a journalist about his sister being on welfare. The journalist, Juan Williams, wrote a column about it that caught the attention of Reagan's team. "She gets mad when the mailman is late with her welfare check," Thomas said, according to Williams. Reagan ended up making massive cuts to welfare programs and allowing states to institute work requirements for welfare recipients.

☆ Supreme Court ruling continues to protect Google, Facebook and Twitter from what users post
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court declined to address the legal liability shield that protects tech platforms from being held responsible for their users' posts, the court said in an unsigned opinion on Thursday. The decision leaves in place, for now, a broad liability shield that protects companies like Twitter, Meta's Facebook and Instagram as well as Google's YouTube from being held liable for their users' speech on their platforms. The court said it made that decision because the complaint "appears to state little, if any, plausible claim for relief." The Supreme Court said it would vacate and remand, or send back, the decision to the Ninth Circuit court to reconsider in light of its decision on a separate case, Twitter v. Taamneh. In a decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas, the court ruled that such a claim could not be brought under that statute.

☆ Big Tech got a big win as the Supreme Court stayed out of the Section 230 fight, leaving intact the legal shield Trump raged against
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court says Twitter and Google aren't legally liable for terrorists using their platforms. But the court didn't weigh in on Section 230, a legal protection that Trump has raged against. The ruling — which punts a ruling on the larger Section 230 fight — marks a win for Big Tech. But, the decisions — penned by conservative justices on the court — stayed out of the ongoing battle over Section 230, handing Big Tech a win and leaving intact the legal protections that Donald Trump and other lawmakers have raged against. The law also allows companies to moderate content as they see fit — which Trump and other conservatives have argued gives Big Tech too much power to censor conservative opinions, Insider previously reported.

Critics have said such awards encourage frivolous lawsuits and excessive fees going to class action attorneys who may seek to benefit their own interests instead. The Supreme Court in 2019 sidestepped resolving a challenge to cy pres awards in a case involving Google. Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, dissenting in that case, called cy pres settlements "unfair and unreasonable." Monsanto has called the group, which advocates against what it considers abusive class action procedures, a "serial objector to class-action settlements." The group said in court papers that further steps could have taken to distribute the settlement award to class members.

☆ Opinion: Mitch McConnell’s confidence is being put to the test
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. Not to worry, said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a veteran of debt limit battles. McConnell’s reassurance that all will work out in the end is validated by history, but that doesn’t mean this time couldn’t be different. “If female voters are key to a Donald Trump victory in 2024, the former president should be in big trouble – but he doesn’t seem to care,” Jill Filipovic observed. “The town hall audience – selected on the basis of their intention to vote in the Republican primary in New Hampshire – appeared to be made up mostly of Trump fans.

☆ Jane Roberts' anti-abortion advocacy helped her husband, Chief Justice John Roberts, land his spot on the Supreme Court years before Roe v. Wade was overturned
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Chief Justice John Roberts' wife's anti-abortion advocacy once helped bolster his judicial career. Details of Jane Roberts' work, though not new, are worth revisiting in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade's reversal. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and his wife Jane exit the funeral service for Antonin Scalia. Jane Roberts' advocacy and public political beliefs ultimately helped convince two conservative legal power players, Leonard Leo and Jay Sekulow, to publicly advocate for John Roberts' confirmation, according to the Times. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty ImagesAt the time of John Roberts' nomination, liberals feared he might pose a threat to Roe v. Wade.

The complaint was sent to the US judges' Committee on Financial Disclosure. For now, questions about Thomas's previously undisclosed financial dealings with Harlan Crow, a billionaire Texas real-estate developer, will fall to an obscure committee of sixteen federal judges — the Committee on Financial Disclosure. Koszczuk said the same letterhead was routinely sent to any member of the public who asked for a judge's financial disclosure report. When Ranjan wrote his article, a review of a Thomas biography, the controversies surrounding Thomas had nothing to do with his financial disclosures. Judges' financial disclosures are only updated annually, and until recently, it wasn't easy to get ahold of them.

☆ Justice Elena Kagan was worried about the ethics of accepting bagels from friends, while Clarence Thomas was enjoying expensive vacations paid for by a GOP megadonor: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan once turned down a care package of bagels and lox, per Forward. She was concerned she could be violating the court's ethics rules for accepting gifts, friends said. Meanwhile, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was accepting lavish holidays from a GOP megadonor. And unlike the rest of the federal judiciary, the Supreme Court is not bound by a code of conduct. The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Clarence Thomas, who accepted lavish gifts from a billionaire, argued that a law prohibiting taking bribes is too vague to be fairly enforced
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — who accepted lavish gifts and luxury vacations from a billionaire for years — signed off on a Supreme Court opinion Thursday arguing that a law prohibiting taking bribes is too vague to be fairly enforced. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in a concurring opinion — on which Thomas signed off — that a federal anti-bribery law wasn't clear enough. "To this day, no one knows what 'honest-services fraud' encompasses," Gorsuch wrote. Crow described Thomas as a friend and insisted he never sought to influence the conservative Supreme Court justice. Additionally, the Senate Judiciary Committee asked Crow for a list of any gifts he's given to a Supreme Court justice or their family.

☆ Opinion: Clarence Thomas’ inability to fill out forms properly defies belief
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Opinion Steven Lubet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has had to explain decades of omissions on his annual financial reports. As a Supreme Court justice, Thomas routinely interprets complex statutes that affect millions of Americans, priding himself on close adherence to the text. It beggars belief that he could repeatedly misinterpret plain statutory requirements and simple instructions on his annual disclosure reports. Supreme Court justices have life tenure. That is why full compliance with financial disclosure laws is so important, and why Thomas’ evasiveness is so wrong.

☆ Harlan Crow’s Gifts, Financial Ties With Justice Thomas Under Fresh Scrutiny by Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jess Bravin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Democrats asked Harlan Crow to provide details on gifts worth more than $415 made to any Supreme Court justice. Photo: Chris Goodney/Bloomberg NewsWASHINGTON—Senate Democrats are ramping up their scrutiny of billionaire Harlan Crow ’s relationship with Justice Clarence Thomas , after the Republican real-estate magnate rebuffed a request for details on his gifts to and business dealings with the Supreme Court member. In letters dated Monday to Mr. Crow and the entities that formally own his private resort, jet and yacht, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s 11 Democrats requested details on all payments or gifts worth more than $415 to any Supreme Court justice or justice’s relative, along with similar information about real-estate transactions, lodging, transportation and private club benefits.

☆ Senators asks billionaire for list of gifts to Supreme Court Justice Thomas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - The Senate Judiciary Committee has asked Texas billionaire Harlan Crow to detail gifts he or his companies have made to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the panel said on Tuesday. "Many of these gifts, transactions, and items of value had not been previously disclosed by Justice Thomas," it said. Similar letters, dated Monday, were sent to the holding companies that own Crow's private jet and private yacht. The letter said Crow has acknowledged items of value given to Thomas and his family in public statements. It asked him to provide the information to the committee by May 22 as the panel works to craft legislation strengthening ethics rules and standards for Supreme Court justices.

☆ The Senate Judiciary Committee just asked GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for a list of any gifts he's given to a Supreme Court justice
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Harlan Crow on Monday. The letter asks Crow to list any gifts he's given to a Supreme Court justice or their family worth more than $415. The letter follows reporting from ProPublica documenting the many vacations Crow's paid for with Justice Clarence Thomas. The Judiciary Committee sent its letter to Crow a week after it held a hearing on ethics reform for the Supreme Court, which Chief Justice John Roberts declined to attend. "They've done a pretty good job in the last week or two of unfairly slamming me and more importantly than that, unfairly slamming Justice Thomas."

☆ Senate Democrats ask billionaire Harlan Crow to list gifts to Clarence Thomas and any other justices
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Summer Concepcion | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

They also asked Crow to provide a full list of real estate transactions, transportation, lodging and admission to private clubs he might have provided. All 11 Democrats, including Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., who has been absent from the Senate due to health issues, signed the letter. Republicans on the committee and the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to NBC News' requests for comment. Wyden asked for answers by May 8, the same day Durbin issued his latest letter to Crow. The Supreme Court in March tightened some of its rules on what judges and justices need to include in annual financial disclosure statements.

☆ Senate Judiciary chair says ‘everything is on the table’ in response to Clarence Thomas revelations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Aileen Graef | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin said Sunday that “everything is on the table” as the panel scrutinizes new ethics concerns around Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Crow also purchased several real estate properties, including the home where Thomas’ mother lives, from the Thomas family and paid boarding school tuition for Thomas’ grandnephew, according to ProPublica. But Durbin said Sunday the recent revelations “just embarrasses me” as he called on Chief Justice John Roberts to impose a code of conduct on the court. Roberts previously declined Durbin’s request to voluntarily testify in a hearing on Supreme Court ethics. Feinstein, 89, has been away from the Senate since March as she recovers at home in California from shingles.

☆ Kellyanne Conway is now caught up in Clarence Thomas' latest ethics scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kellyanne Conway helped route a payment to Clarence Thomas' wife, Ginni Thomas, according to the Washington Post. It's the latest ethics scandal to hit Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. According to a report from the Washington Post, conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo wanted to send thousands of dollars to Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, the wife of Clarence Thomas, in 2012. Though Justice Thomas didn't cite the nonprofit's brief, he did vote in favor of the side they supported. The silent payment to Ginni Thomas is the latest in a series of ethical concerns to surface surrounding Justice Thomas' financial affairs, including his cozy relationship with billionaire Harlan Crow, who paid for lavish vacations, bought Thomas' mother's house, and paid for his child's education.

☆ Secret billionaire benefactors, mysterious debt, undisclosed real estate deals, millions in headhunting fees, and more: All of the ethics questions hanging over the Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Justice Clarence Thomas is at the center of a scandal involving a billionaire subsidizing his lifestyle. Chief Justice John Roberts' wife has made millions as a legal recruiter from firms who argue at the court. Land deals, mysterious debts, book deals, it's an ethical minefield at the court right now. Roberts' wife, Jane, made millions in commissions placing lawyers at the high-priced firms that often argue before the court. Roberts and other justices have bristled over the possible impositions of a formal ethics code on the court.

☆ Clarence Thomas — who let a GOP megadonor foot bills for him for years — said being a Supreme Court justice 'is not worth doing for what they pay'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

In a 2001 speech, Thomas said serving on the Supreme Court wasn't worth it for the money. "The job is not worth doing for what they pay," Thomas said during a speech in 2001, The New York Post reported at the time. The Post reported Thomas cried during the speech and thanked his lawyer who worked on the custody battle. In 2001, the salary for an associate Supreme Court justice was $178,300, while the chief justice made $186,300. A group of 15 Democratic lawmakers now wants to withhold $10 million from Supreme Court funding until the court adopts a code of ethics, The Hill reported.

☆ Tightening Supreme Court Ethics Rules Faces Steep Hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The drumbeat of revelations that Justice Clarence Thomas did not disclose lavish gifts and significant financial arrangements with a billionaire Republican donor has put a spotlight on the fact that the Supreme Court has the weakest ethics rules in the federal government. But it is far less clear that anything can be done about it. Justice Thomas’s behavior has underscored that financial disclosure rules for justices are porous and that the court has no binding code of ethical conduct like the one that governs lower-court judges. The court has shown no interest in adopting one, and proposals in Congress to force one upon it face steep political and constitutional hurdles. “It’s a mess,” said Stephen Gillers, a legal ethics professor at New York University.

☆ 2 Supreme Court justices failed to recuse themselves from cases involving their publisher after receiving exorbitant amounts in book advances and royalties
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

On two occasions, the Supreme Court has declined to take on cases involving publishing conglomerate Penguin Random House. There have been two cases that came before the Supreme Court involving publishing conglomerate Penguin Random House. In both situations, the Supreme Court declined to take on the copyright infringement cases, allowing the publisher to win at a lower court level. Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch was confirmed in 2017 and was also a member of the Supreme Court during the second case. Sotomayor and Gorsuch had both signed major book deals with the publisher before the cases occurred, and both justices declined to recuse themselves from the cases involving Penguin Random House.

☆ Clarence Thomas' wife Ginni was paid nearly $100,000 for 'consulting' by a nonprofit that ended up filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A conservative activist helped Ginni Thomas rake in nearly $100,000 for consulting, The Washington Post reported. Conservative lawyer Leonard Leo reportedly ensured Ginni Thomas' name was kept off the paperwork. Leo's nonprofit filed an amicus brief before the Supreme Court that same year. Ginni Thomas has previously courted controversy with her public, pro-Trump activities, and other conservative activism. Neither Ginni Thomas, nor a representative for the Supreme Court immediately responded to Insider's request for comment.

☆ A group of Democratic senators want to withhold $10 million in Supreme Court funding until it adopts a public code of ethics: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A group of fifteen Democratic senators sent a letter in March asking to withhold $10 million in Supreme Court funding. The senators said the $10 million should be withheld until a public code of ethics is instituted for the court. "Congress has broad authority to compel the Supreme Court to institute these reforms, which would join other requirements already legislatively mandated. At a Supreme Court ethics hearing on Tuesday, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley appeared to take umbrage at the Democratic senators' request, asserting the $10 million that would be cut from the Supreme Court's budget would directly impact their security. She added that cutting funding for the Supreme Court's security simply wasn't on the table.

☆ GOP megadonor Harlan Crow paid for Clarence Thomas to send a child in his custody to a $6,000-a-month private boarding school: ProPublica
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sent a child in his custody to a private boarding school. GOP megadonor Harlan Crow paid at least some of the child's $6,000-a-month tuition, per ProPublica. Tuition at the Hidden Lake Academy cost more than $6,000 a month, but ProPublica reported that Thomas did not pay for Martin's education himself. A former administrator at the school, Christopher Grimwood, told ProPublica that Crow covered the costs of Martin's entire education at the school — about a year. If Crow had paid for Martin's education at both schools over a period of four years, he would have spent more than $150,000, ProPublica said.

☆ The same year Clarence Thomas sent a child to a private boarding school on Harlan Crow's dime, a parent testified that the academy used children for free labor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The school Clarence Thomas sent a child to has been accused of forcing students into hard labor. A ProPublica report found that Harlan Crow footed the school's $6,000-a-month bill for Thomas. Thomas has been accused of judicial misconduct for not reporting gifts he received from Crow. These activities could go on "for as long as 8 hours," the parent wrote. Justice Thomas has been accused of judicial misconduct after a series of reports from ProPublica detailed his acceptance of unreported lavish gifts from Crow.

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