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☆ Senate panel set to vote on US Supreme Court ethics reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - A Senate panel on Thursday was set to debate and vote on Democratic-backed legislation that would mandate a binding ethics code for the U.S. Supreme Court following revelations that some conservative justices have failed to disclose luxury trips and real estate transactions. It would require the justices to adopt a code of conduct as well as create a mechanism to investigate alleged violations. Unlike other members of the federal judiciary, the Supreme Court's nine life-tenured justices have no binding ethics code of conduct. The legislation would face long odds to win passage on the Senate floor, where it would need some Republican support to advance. Democratic senators have said these reports show that the court cannot be trusted to police itself.

Persons: Sheldon Whitehouse, Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, ProPublica, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: Democratic, U.S, Republican, Representatives, Dallas, Politico, Thomson Locations: Alaska, Colorado

☆ Opinion | Should No Labels Run a Presidential Candidate?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “With Centrist Platform, No Labels Pushes Cause and Latent Third-Party Bid” (news article, July 16):Although I would love to see our two-party system evolve and I think less acrimony is essential to moving forward, I have two basic problems with the No Labels party idea. First, the U.S. system simply doesn’t support the creation of viable alternate parties. Until the barriers in place are removed, all third parties can do is play spoiler. For the first time in U.S. history, we have one party actively and unashamedly undermining the rule of law and democracy itself. Then it will be a great time to change the rules so we don’t have this seemingly black or white constraint for choice of candidate.

Persons: Harlan Crow, Clarence Thomas Locations: U.S, Texas

☆ US Senate Democrats pursue Supreme Court ethics legislation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Unlike other members of the federal judiciary, the Supreme Court's nine life-tenured justices have no binding ethics code of conduct. "The Supreme Court does a good job of that on their own," Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Reuters, referring to ethics rules. Senator John Kennedy, another Republican panel member, questioned whether lawmakers possess the power to impose ethics standards on the court. The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Supreme Court ethics concerns in May, but conservative Chief Justice John Roberts rebuffed Durbin's invitation to testify, citing "the importance of preserving judicial independence." That code, binding to lower federal court judges but not the justices, requires judges to avoid even the "appearance of impropriety."

Persons: Sheldon Whitehouse, Whitehouse, Dick Durbin, Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, ProPublica, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Mike Lee of, John Kennedy, I'm, Kennedy, John Roberts, Roberts, they're, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: Democrats, U.S, Democratic, Republican, Representatives, Dallas, Politico, Reuters, Republicans, Thomson Locations: Alaska, Colorado, Mike Lee of Utah

☆ Harlan Crow's jaunts on his yacht with Justice Clarence Thomas were a 'textbook billionaire tax scam,' Sen. Ron Wyden tells ProPublica
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Justice Clarence Thomas and GOP megadonor Harlan Crow's yacht trips have come under scrutiny again. Per ProPublica, Crow registered his yacht as a charter vessel but only took close friends on trips. As a result, he could pay his own company, report losses, and save on his tax bill, per ProPublica. Some of those were trips aboard Crow's yacht, the Michaela Rose, and were organized through Rochelle Charter, a company registered to charter the yacht. In April, Crow and Thomas first faced scrutiny related to the 20 years worth of undisclosed trips Crow is accused of gifting to Thomas, per ProPublica.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Harlan, Per, Crow, Thomas, Michaela Rose, Ron Wyden, ProPublica, gifting, Thomas —, — Organizations: Service, Privacy, ProPublica, Dallas Morning News, Democrats Locations: Wall, Silicon, Rochelle

☆ Justice Clarence Thomas has a long history of accepting expensive gifts, including a long-time friend paying for his 1987 wedding reception: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Justice Clarence Thomas' acceptance of lavish gifts stretches back decades, per a new NYT report. These include his 1987 wedding reception, paid for by a friend before he joined the Supreme Court, it said. In its latest report, the Times detailed lavish gifts, some of which pre-date Thomas' time on the Supreme Court. "And, in return, he opened up the Supreme Court." Thomas is far from the only Supreme Court Justice to have received expensive gifts in the course of their tenure.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Thomas, Harlan Crow, Crow, Armstrong Williams, Horatio Alger, Williams, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, — Thomas Organizations: Supreme, Service, New York Times, Opportunity Commission, Times, Horatio, Distinguished, Horatio Alger Association, Justice, LA Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Thomas, Virginia

☆ The elite Horatio Alger Association, which counts Clarence Thomas among its members, has repeatedly been given unusual access to the Supreme Court's courtroom: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Clarence Thomas' membership in the Horatio Alger Association gives it rare access, per the Times. The elite group welcomed Thomas into the fold after his stormy Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Thomas soon became a member of the Horatio Alger Association himself and cherished his ability to speak with students and mentor scholarship recipients. "They really treated him like a brother, like he mattered and, in return, he opened up the Supreme Court," Williams added. Thomas hosts the induction ceremony in the Supreme Court courtroom, where roughly 10 new individuals are welcomed into the elite organization.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Horatio Alger, Thomas, Anita Hill, Thomas —, District of Columbia Circuit —, Horatio, Ginni, Armstrong Williams, Williams, Tom Selleck, Lou Dobbs, —, Anthony Hutcherson, ProPublica, megadonor Harlan Crow Organizations: Horatio, Times, Service, Commission, Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, Distinguished, The New York Times, Horatio Alger Association, Judicial Conference Locations: Wall, Silicon, Virginia, Washington , DC, United States

☆ Dick Durbin slams Roberts for failing to make sure SCOTUS doesn't have the 'lowest ethical standards'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin slammed Chief Justice John Roberts for failing to impose stronger ethical requirements. Durbin, who chairs the powerful Judiciary Committee, vowed his panel will move forward on proposals. The Judiciary Committee, Durbin added, will continue with its previously announced plans to consider legislation that would impose greater ethical requirements on the high court after lawmakers return to Washington following their July 4th holiday recess. "The highest court in the land should not have the lowest ethical standards." Critics of the court seized on the reporting about ethical concerns also a way to further question its legitimacy.

Persons: Democratic Sen, Dick Durbin, John Roberts, Durbin, —, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Roberts, Joe Biden's, Neil Gorsuch, ProPublica, Thomas, Harlan Crow, Crow, Alito, Paul Singer, Singer Organizations: Democratic, Committee, Service, Republicans, GOP Locations: Washington

☆ A shadowy club in California recently associated with Clarence Thomas is being sued for multiple labor violations. Here's what the secret retreat is known for.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Former workers, known as valets, are suing an elite men's club for alleged labor violations. The Bohemian Club has been associated with right-wing political figures, including Clarence Thomas. The suit names Bohemian Club treasurer William Dawson as someone who directly asked employees to "falsify payroll records." The club is also known for hosting "Lakeside Talks," where members, often those of the political elite, speak about policy ideas. The Bohemian Club and a lawyer for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, —, Harlan Crow, Thomas, valets, William Dawson, Sam Singer, Singer, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, Alex Jones Organizations: Bohemian, Service, GOP, Bohemian Club, Pomella, Press Democrat, Club, Grove Locations: California, Monte Rio , California, Bohemian

☆ Democratic lawmakers seek Supreme Court investigation into Clarence Thomas
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, left, talks to Chief Justice John Roberts during the formal group photograph at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. A group of 18 House Democrats wrote a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts Tuesday urging him to establish an independent investigative arm within the Supreme Court — and pressing for that office to probe Justice Clarence Thomas' relationship with a wealthy GOP donor. The Goldman letter recommends the establishment within the court of an "independent investigative body" that can provide transparency and accountability by probing "alleged ethical improprieties." After the Thomas story broke in April, Roberts declined Senate Judiciary Chairman Richard Durbin's request for him to appear before the panel to discuss Supreme Court ethics. Roberts is under no obligation to respond to the Goldman letter, much less create new institutions within the court.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, Dan Goldman, Roberts, ProPublica, Thomas, Harlan Crow's, Samuel Alito, Paul Singer, Neil Gorsuch, Greenberg Traurig, Goldman, Alito, Mitch McConnell, Justice Thomas, Richard Durbin's Organizations: Democrats, Rep, NBC, GOP, Politico, Democratic, Republican Locations: Washington , DC, Alaska, Ky

☆ Clarence Thomas: Appellate judge defends justice in new book, rejects 'pot shots' at Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Ariane De Vogue | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A federal appeals court judge previously on short lists for the Supreme Court is taking the rare step to broadly and publicly reject allegations that Justice Clarence Thomas has been improperly influenced by lavish gifts provided by a conservative billionaire, dismissing “pot shots” at the Supreme Court in general. Thapar this past week released a new book about Thomas entitled “The People’s Justice,” in which he explores the justice’s favored judicial philosophy of originalism. “You can judge their works, and what they do, against what they’ve done in the past,” Thapar told CNN. Ethics and financial disclosuresThapar rejects suggestions that Thomas should have disclosed the hospitality provided by Crow on annual financial disclosure forms. They have called Justice Thomas ‘the cruelest justice,’ ‘stupid,’ and even an ‘Uncle Tom’ a traitor to his race,” Thapar writes.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Amul Thapar, Thapar, Thomas, originalism, Thomas ’, Thomas ’ originalism, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Harlan Crow’s, ” Thapar, Ginni, Crow, ” Virginia Canter, ” “, ” Canter, hadn’t, “, –, ”, Thomas’s, Thomas ‘, ’, Tom ’, Elizabeth Wydra, ” Wydra Organizations: CNN, Eastern, Eastern District of, ProPublica, Citizens, Crow, Administrative, Center Locations: Cincinnati, Eastern District, Eastern District of Kentucky, Washington

☆ A federal judge once on the shortlist for the Supreme Court defended Clarence Thomas over the justice's relationship with billionaire Harlan Crow: 'Judges are just like every other human being'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Judge Amul Thapar in his new book defended Clarence Thomas' relationship with megadonor Harlan Crow. Thapar told CNN that judges "have a diverse group of friends, and those friends don't influence the way we do our job." "Judges are just like every other human being," Thapar told the network. And while speaking with CNN, Thapar also suggested that media reports about Thomas didn't always offer a clear picture of the longtime Supreme Court justice. "You can judge their works, and what they do, against what they've done in the past," Thapar told the network.

Persons: Amul Thapar, Clarence Thomas, megadonor Harlan Crow, Thapar, Thomas, —, Harlan Crow, Thomas didn't, Crow, Donald Trump —, ProPublica, Harlan, Kathy Crow Organizations: CNN, Crow, Service, United States, Appeals, Sixth Circuit, Judicial Conference Locations: United States

☆ Opinion | Does Justice Alito Hear Himself?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Jesse Wegman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

And appearances count, perhaps nowhere more than at the Supreme Court, which is the final arbiter of many of the most fraught issues of American life. Justice Alito is hardly the first member of the current court to face charges of serious ethical lapses. Justice Thomas has mostly kept his mouth shut, though he did issue a brief statement after the ProPublica article about him. Justice Alito, by choosing to speak up at length and in a forum that he knew would be both friendly and prominent, muscled his opinion into public view. For instance, Justice Alito defended his decision not to report Mr. Singer’s freebie because it was “personal hospitality,” which he believed, like his colleague Justice Thomas, did not need to be reported.

Persons: Alito, Clarence Thomas, Ginni, ProPublica, Thomas’s, Harlan Crow, Thomas, Justice Alito, Singer’s, Justice Thomas, Singer, he’d Organizations: Supreme, Trump White House Locations: Alaska

☆ Justice Alito Defends Private Jet Travel to Luxury Fishing Trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Adam Liptak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In an extraordinary salvo in a favored forum, Justice Alito defended himself in a pre-emptive article in the opinion pages of The Wall Street Journal before the news organization ProPublica posted its account of a luxury fishing trip in 2008. His response comes as the justices face mounting scrutiny over their ethical obligations to report gifts and to recuse themselves from cases involving their benefactors. The latest revelations are sure to intensify calls for the court to adopt more stringent ethics rules. Justice Clarence Thomas has been largely silent in the face of revelations of gifts from Harlan Crow, a wealthy Republican donor. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. turned down an invitation from Congress to testify about the court’s ethics practices and made vague statements about addressing them.

Persons: Samuel A, Alito Jr, Justice Alito, ProPublica, Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, John G, Roberts Jr

☆ Chief Justice John Roberts listed two vacation homes on two different continents in his real estate income disclosures while Elena Kagan listed a parking spot in DC
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Kelly Mclaughlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chief Justice Roberts' report revealed he rented out properties in Ireland and Maine. A report for Justice Elena Kagan revealed she rented out a parking spot in Washington, DC. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Elena Kagan both earned extra income by renting out properties — though the properties are vastly different. According to Roberts' report, shared online by SCOTUSblog, Roberts rented out cottages in Ireland's Limerick County and Maine's Knox County. Kagan, meanwhile, rented out a parking space at a building in Washington, DC, according to her report, also shared by SCOTUSblog.

Persons: Justice Roberts, Elena Kagan, —, John Roberts, Roberts, Kagan, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Thomas, Alito, Harlan Crow Organizations: Supreme, Service, SCOTUSblog, NPR Locations: Ireland, Maine, Washington ,, Ireland's Limerick County, Maine's Knox County, Washington , DC, New York

☆ Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas postpones annual financial disclosure amid donor controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas arrives for the swearing in ceremony of Judge Neil Gorsuch as an Associate Supreme Court Justice in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., April 10, 2017. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas asked for more time to file his annual financial disclosure as he faces an ethics controversy over accepting pricey vacations and other largesse from Republican billionaire Harlan Crow. Justice Samuel Alito, another conservative, was the only other Supreme Court justice to request an extension. The Texas real estate developer also purchased properties belonging to the conservative justice's family in Georgia, and funded part of his great-nephew's private school education. The revelations sparked harsh criticism of Thomas for failing to disclose the ties, and calls for ethics reform of the Supreme Court.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Judge Neil Gorsuch, Harlan Crow, Thomas, Samuel Alito, ProPublica, Crow Organizations: Justice, White, Supreme, Democratic Locations: Rose, Washington , U.S, Crow, Texas, Georgia

☆ Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas got an extension to file his financial disclosure forms this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Paul Squire | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court justice got an extension to file his financial disclosures. Thomas now has up to 90 more days to file his disclosures, according to the Administrative Office of the US Courts. Fellow Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito also asked for and received an extension, the court office said. The Supreme Court justices are under stricter ethics rules this year to publicly reveal more gifts, trips, or meals they may have accepted from organizations or businesses. Crow told ProPublica that he and Thomas are just "dear friends" and that they never discussed Supreme Court business.

Persons: Clarence Thomas won't, Thomas, —, Clarence Thomas, who's, ProPublica, Harlan Crow, Samuel Alito, Crow Organizations: Service, Supreme, Administrative, Judicial Conference, Washington Post

☆ Justices Thomas and Alito Delay Release of Financial Disclosures
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Justice Clarence Thomas delayed releasing his annual financial disclosure form on Wednesday after recent revelations cast scrutiny on his travel, gifts and real estate dealings with a conservative billionaire donor from Texas. Like Justice Thomas, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. asked for a 90-day extension to file the forms, which detail gifts, investments and other financial holdings, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, which handles the financial records and the database where they are publicly disclosed. The financial disclosures, especially that of Justice Thomas, have drawn heightened interest after a series of reports raised questions about the level of transparency at the Supreme Court and the lack of an enforceable ethics code. The nature of Justice Thomas’s relationship with Harlan Crow, a Texas billionaire and longtime Republican donor, has elicited particular attention. The disclosure forms for the other justices gave a glimpse of their lives outside the court, offering details of travel in 2022 and money earned from book deals.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Justice Thomas, Justice Samuel A, Alito Jr, Thomas’s, Harlan Crow Organizations: Administrative, U.S . Courts, Supreme Locations: Texas

[1/2] 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 HocksteinWASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) - Conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, under scrutiny following revelations that he did not disclose luxury trips paid for by a billionaire Dallas businessman, has received an extension to file his mandatory annual financial disclosure, the court said on Wednesday. Some congressional Democrats have proposed imposing new ethics standards on the Supreme Court following reporting on conduct by some of the justices, in particular Thomas. Supreme Court justices are not bound like other federal judges by a code of conduct that includes avoidance even of the "appearance of impropriety." The three conservative justices appointed by former President Donald Trump drew additional income as law professors.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Evelyn Hockstein WASHINGTON, Samuel Alito, Thomas, Harlan Crow, Crow, Frederick Douglass, Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Sonia Sotomayor, Sotomayor, John Roberts, Donald Trump, Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, George Mason University's Antonin Scalia, Amy Coney Barrett, Roberts, Andrew Chung, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, REUTERS, Conservative U.S, Judicial Conference, Politico, Liberal, Vogue, Random, Charter Communications, Texas, University of Notre Dame Law School, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Dallas, Crow, Colorado, New York, Washington

The Democratic-led Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the subject in May. Crow, a major Republican donor, last month, rejected the panel's request for a meeting. Separately, Bopp declined to provide another Democratic-led Senate panel, the Finance Committee, any personal financial information about Crow, it said. In a statement, the panel accused Crow of "stonewalling" and "doubling down on bogus legal theories." The news outlet ProPublica has detailed the ties between Thomas and Crow.

Persons: Harlan Crow's, Clarence Thomas, Thomas, Crow, Crow's, Michael Bopp, Dick Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Bopp, Ron Wyden, Neil Gorsuch, Susan Heavey, Kanishka Singh, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Republican, Democratic, Finance Committee, Finance, Politico, Thomson Locations: Texas, Colorado

☆ Ron DeSantis is drawing from the Trump Supreme Court playbook
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —When Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas appeared for the first time before the Florida Federalist Society in January 2020, Florida Gov. Some of DeSantis’ state court appointees became Trump federal court appointees, and their entire approach to the bench is fueled by Federalist Society figures like Leo. WaPo: Supreme Court justice's wife received thousands in 'hidden payments' 01:49 - Source: CNNUsing the Trump playbookBy using Leo for advice on state judicial appointments, DeSantis already is following a Trump playbook. He has filled a majority of the seats on the seven-member Florida Supreme Court, some twice over. Midway through his term, he wrote on Twitter, “The Supreme Court was one of the main reasons I got elected President.”

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Ron DeSantis, Thomas, Leonard Leo, Leo, Donald Trump’s, DeSantis, “, ” Leo, Ginni Thomas, ”, ProPublica’s, Thomas ’, Harlan Crow, Octavio Jones, Roe, Wade, Sullivan, Don McGahn, Gregory Katsas, Trump, ” DeSantis, ” Thomas, Katsas, WaPo, DeSantis ’, Jesse Panuccio, ” Panuccio, Barbara Lagoa, Robert Luck, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Lagoa, Amy Coney Barrett, “ I’ve, Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Barack Obama’s, Antonin Scalia Organizations: CNN, Florida Federalist Society, Florida Gov, Disney, Federalist Society, White, Harvard Law School, Politico, Representatives, Trump White House, Republican, Trump, Republicans, DeSantis, Tampa Bay Times, Zuma Press, GOP, New York Times, US, DC Circuit, Gov, Orlando Federalist Society, Appeals, Circuit, Florida Supreme, Twitter Locations: Florida, Iowa, ’, Washington, Georgia, America, New Hampshire

☆ Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the rare lone dissenter in a union strike ruling that involved drivers walking off the job with trucks full of wet concrete
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Lauren Steussy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Supreme Court struck down a ruling over what union members can reasonably do during a strike. A local teamsters union in Washington walked off the job in 2017 with trucks full of wet concrete. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only dissenter, saying the decision jeopardizes union rights. The solo dissent was a first for the outspoken Biden-appointed justice, who wrote that the ruling would "erode the right to strike." "Workers are not indentured servants, bound to continue laboring until any planned work stoppage would be as painless as possible for their master," Jackson wrote.

Persons: Ketanji Brown Jackson, —, Biden, Jackson, Amy Coney Barrett, Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, Samuel Alito, haven't shied, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Andy Warhol, Kagan Organizations: teamsters, Service, Washington Supreme, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Teamsters, Workers, GOP Locations: Washington, Northwest

☆ GOP megadonor Harlan Crow says he doesn't understand the Supreme Court enough to talk law with Clarence Thomas. He says they chat about Motown.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The GOP megadonor said he knows too little about the law to discuss Supreme Court cases with Thomas. He told The Atlantic he isn't a "law guy" and instead chats with Thomas about Motown and sports. But in an interview with The Atlantic, Crow brushed off any accusations of corruption or impropriety with an unusual defense — his ignorance. Being friends means that "work-related issues" do occasionally come up in conversation, Crow told The Atlantic. Those conversations were casual and not about jurisprudence, he said, with Crow describing the discussion of specific Supreme Court cases as "off limits."

☆ Harlan Crow says he's 'put away' his controversial Hitler paintings, even though he insists there's nothing wrong with displaying them
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Harlan Crow said he has "put away" his two controversial Adolf Hitler paintings. Crow insisted it's obvious that Nazis are bad, even though others might misunderstand his intentions in displaying Hitler's artwork, The Atlantic reported. Crow thought that Hitler's teapot and table linens, two more items in Crow's collection of memorabilia, remained on display, The Atlantic reported. They were replaced with a note that read "not to commemorate, but to remember, in hopes that it may never happen again," The Atlantic reported. After checking in another case that turned up empty, The Atlantic reported that Crow said, "I didn't know that.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

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