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[1/2] Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts arrives before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, February 7, 2023, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoCompanies United States Senate FollowWASHINGTON, April 20 (Reuters) - The Senate Judiciary Committee's chairman called on U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts to testify at a May 2 hearing on Supreme ethics reform after earlier urging him to investigate ties between Justice Clarence Thomas and a wealthy Republican donor. The court did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Roberts. The chief justice is a member of the court's 6-3 conservative majority. In inviting Roberts to testify, Durbin also said the chief justice could designate another justice to appear instead.

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts poses during a group portrait at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., October 7, 2022. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday invited Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to testify next month before the panel about ethics reform of the court. Last week, the same news outlet reported that Thomas failed to disclose that Crow had purchased property from Thomas and his relatives, which included a house where Thomas' mother still lives. In his letter Thursday to Roberts, Durbin wrote, "Your last significant discussion of how Supreme Court Justices address ethical issues was presented in your 2011 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary." A Supreme Court spokeswoman did not immediately respond to CNBC when asked if Roberts would accept Durbin's invitation to appear before the committee.

CNN —Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin has requested that Chief Justice John Roberts or “another Justice whom you designate” appear before his committee next month for a hearing on Supreme Court ethics rules. The hospitality was not disclosed on Thomas’ public financial filings with the Supreme Court, ProPublica said. In his letter, Durbin argued that there is precedent for justices to testify before the committee, citing a hearing in 2011 when then-justices Stephen Breyer and Antonin Scalia appeared for a hearing. These problems were already apparent back in 2011, and the Court’s decade-long failure to address them has contributed to a crisis of public confidence,” Durbin wrote. “The status quo is no longer tenable.”The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Clarence Thomas inspires pizza chain promo deal that made 'every pie on sale, just like' the Supreme Court Justice following report he accepted vacations from GOP donor
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A ProPublica report last week revealed Justice Thomas accepted lavish vacations from a GOP donor. A Washington DC-based pizza chain emailed customers with a reference to Thomas accepting the vacations to promote a sale, Fox reported. The &pizza chain often uses its social media accounts to post memes related to politics and popular culture. "Every pie on sale, Just like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas," it reportedly read. Two weeks prior to their Thomas-themed sale, &pizza Instagram account published a photo of Donald Trump captioned, "Today's weather forecast: Stormy."

☆ Top US Senate Republican backs Supreme Court chief amid calls for Thomas probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Katharine Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday expressed support for the Supreme Court's chief justice as Democrats urge him to investigate luxury trips taken by Justice Clarence Thomas that were paid for by a Republican donor. “I have total confidence in the Chief Justice of the United States to deal with these court internal issues,” McConnell told reporters. Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, in a letter sent to Chief Justice John Roberts on April 10, said Thomas' conduct violated ethical standards. ProPublica reported on April 6 that Thomas accepted expensive trips from Republican donor and real estate magnate Harlan Crow over decades without disclosing them. Thomas defended the trips, saying he had been advised he was not required to report that type of "personal hospitality."

☆ Top US Senate Republican backs U.S. Supreme Court chief amid calls for Thomas probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Katharine Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ AOC says there's an easy solution if Clarence Thomas wants a life of luxury: 'Resign from the court'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez weighed in on Justice Clarence Thomas' undisclosed luxury trips. Public servants who want to live a luxury lifestyle "can resign from the court," she said. Thomas reportedly took undisclosed vacations with a GOP megadonor over the past 20 years. And if they want to live that kind of lifestyle, then they can resign from the court. Host Jordan Klepper asked who she thought would write the opinion if conflicting rulings on the abortion pill mifepristone make it to the Supreme Court.

☆ GOP megadonor Harlan Crow isn't charging Clarence Thomas' mother rent. Zillow estimates suggest that would have saved her $155,000 since 2014.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

GOP megadonor Harlan Crow bought SCOTUS justice Clarence Thomas' mother's house in October 2014. Thomas' mother still lives there rent-free, CNN reported. And that deal may have saved her more than $150,000 in rent for the property, according to Zillow estimates. According to Zillow's estimates for what the property would cost to rent, Williams could have saved as much as $154,900 over the years. ProPublica reported that after the sale, renovations equating to thousands of dollars were made to the home, including a repaired roof and a new carport.

☆ GOP Megadonor Harlan Crow claims he's the victim of 'a political hit job' after reporting showed he paid for Clarence Thomas' lavish vacations and bought property from him
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

GOP megadonor Harlan Crow defended his ties to Justice Clarence Thomas. "I think it's a political hit job," Crow told The Dallas Morning News. "I think it's a political hit job," Crow told Dallas Morning News columnist Cheryl Hall in his largest response to ProPublica's bombshell reports. "I don't think the media cares really much about Harlan Crow, and I think they're right. Engelberg added that the publication reached out to Justice Thomas and Crow with extensive questions about what their reporting uncovered.

☆ Amy Klobuchar, who sits on the Senate judiciary committee, says Clarence Thomas' undisclosed lavish gifts from billionaire GOP donor is 'serious' and callsfor stronger ethics rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose ties to a GOP megadonor, ProPublica reported. Klobuchar called for "ethics rules in the Supreme Court that are clear and enforceable." A ProPublica investigation found that Thomas had taken luxurious vacations with Harlan Crow, a billionaire real estate magnate, and GOP megadonor, among other things. Klobuchar on Sunday said there needs to be "ethics rules in the Supreme Court that are clear and enforceable." Every federal judge in the country comes under these ethics rules.

☆ Justice Clarence Thomas received between $270,000 to $750,000 within the past 17 years from a real estate company that no longer exists, Washington Post reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Clarence Thomas received rental income from a firm called Ginger Limited Partnership, WaPo reported. The real estate firm's partners included Thomas' wife Ginni Thomas, her parents, and her 3 siblings. But since then, Thomas reported receiving a total of $270,000 to $750,000 from the defunct firm, records reviewed by WaPo showed. A Supreme Court spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Federal law stipulates that government employees, including Supreme Court justices, must disclose real estate transactions worth more than $1,000.

☆ Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas reportedly has been claiming thousands of dollars annually from a shuttered real estate firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 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, April 10, 2017. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas reported on financial disclosure forms that his family has earned thousands of dollars in rental income from a Nebraska real estate firm that has been shuttered since 2006, according to a report by the Washington Post Sunday. Thomas has reported income from a firm called Ginger, Ltd., Partnership over the last two decades, but in 2006 it was shut down and replaced by a new firm, the report said. In recent years, Thomas reportedly continued to disclose between $50,000 and $100,000 in income from the old firm annually. ProPublica later reported that Crow bought property from Thomas as well, which the justice also failed to disclose.

☆ Sorry everyone, but Clarence Thomas can take undisclosed money from whomever he wants and there is little to be done about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But Supreme Court experts told Insider there is no chance the conservative justice will be removed. The Supreme Court has little regulatory oversight and few routes for disciplining its judges. Judiciary ethics experts told Insider the bombshell ProPublica report left them "shocked" and "disturbed." Federal law requires government employees, including Supreme Court justices, to report most real estate transactions worth more than a thousand dollars. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas attends the ceremonial swearing-in ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett to be the U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice on the South Lawn of the White House October 26, 2020.

☆ Justice Thomas Failed to Report Real Estate Deal With Texas Billionaire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — Justice Clarence Thomas did not disclose that he had sold a string of properties to a longtime conservative donor from Texas in 2014, ProPublica revealed on Thursday. The transaction is the first known instance of money going directly from the billionaire donor, Harlan Crow, 73, to the justice, in what appears to be a direct violation of disclosure requirements. The revelation cast greater scrutiny on Justice Thomas, who has long raised eyebrows over questions of conflicts of interest, in part because of the political activism of his wife, Virginia Thomas. The disclosures have fueled calls by Democratic lawmakers and court transparency advocates for the justices to face tighter ethics constraints. In 2014, a real estate company linked to Mr. Crow bought a single-family home and two vacant lots on a quiet Savannah street, paying $133,363 to Justice Thomas and his family for the property, ProPublica said.

☆ Clarence Thomas sold his childhood home to GOP donor Harlan Crow and never disclosed it. The justice's 94-year-old mom still lives there: ProPublica
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sold property to GOP donor Harlan Crow, ProPublica reported. It is also in much better condition than before the sale, with Crow having invested $36,000 in improvements, ProPublica reported. In a statement, Crow told ProPublica that he intends to turn the property into a museum dedicated to Thomas. "Justice Thomas must be held accountable." A spokesperson for the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Thomas revelation fits a broader pattern of nondisclosure
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —The recent revelations of lavish gifts and travel that a Republican megadonor showered on Justice Clarence Thomas reflect a larger Supreme Court culture of nondisclosure, little explanation, and no comment. The incident reflects the broader lack of accountability at the high court regarding off-bench behavior. Justices regularly brush aside reporters’ queries for specifics on travel and gifts, book advances and other extracurricular activities. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin made another such plea to Roberts this week as he also urged the chief justice to open an investigation into Thomas’ conduct. Chief justice on the spotRoberts, who became chief justice in 2005, has continually described the high court as beyond the realm of politics and worthy of public trust.

The hearing, they said, would focus on "the need to restore confidence in the Supreme Court's ethical standards." "And if the court does not resolve this issue on its own, the committee will consider legislation to resolve it," they told Roberts. ProPublica reported on Thursday that Thomas accepted expensive trips from Republican donor and real estate magnate Harlan Crow over decades without disclosing them. Thomas defended the trips on Friday, saying he had been advised he was not required to report that type of "personal hospitality." Crow told ProPublica he had "never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue."

☆ Senate Democrats urge Supreme Court chief justice to investigate Clarence Thomas luxury trips
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, April 23, 2021. The Senate Judiciary Committee's Democratic majority on Monday called for an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' behavior after a report revealed he had failed to disclose years of luxury trips funded by a Republican megadonor. Chief Justice John Roberts should "immediately open" a probe into "how such conduct could take place" on his watch, read a letter from Chairman Dick Durbin of Illinois and the Senate Judiciary panel's 10 other Democratic members. The Democrats also warned they would "consider legislation to resolve" the issue if the high court does not do so on its own. The Senate Judiciary panel's letter to Roberts said Thomas' failure to report the trips is "plainly inconsistent with the ethical standards the American people expect of any person in a position of public trust."

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Sunday she wants Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be impeached and his advisers probed after a media report described luxury trips he has taken over decades, funded by a Republican donor. "It is the House's responsibility to pursue that investigation in the form of impeachment," she told CNN in an interview. ProPublica reported on Thursday that Thomas accepted expensive trips from Crow over decades despite federal law requiring the disclosure of most gifts. Crow told ProPublica he had "never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue." Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Smearing of Clarence Thomas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The left’s assault on the Supreme Court is continuing, and the latest front is the news that Justice Clarence Thomas has a rich friend who has hosted the Justice on his private plane, his yacht, and his vacation resort. That’s the story. Yet this non-bombshell has triggered breathless claims that the Court must be investigated, and that Justice Thomas must resign or be impeached. ***ProPublica, a left-leaning website, kicked off the fun with a report Thursday that Justice Thomas has a longtime friendship with Harlan Crow , a wealthy Texas real-estate developer. The intrepid reporters roamed far and wide to discover that the Justice has sometimes traveled on Mr. Crow’s “Bombardier Global 5000 jet” and that each summer the Justice and his wife spend a vacation week at Mr. Crow’s place in the Adirondacks.

☆ Clarence Thomas' benefactor, the billionaire megadonor Harlan Crow, has a collection of Hitler artifacts and Nazi memorabilia: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Clarence Thomas benefactor Harlan Crow has an art collection that includes Nazi memorabilia, the Washingtonian reported. A bombshell ProPublica report revealed that Thomas had taken undisclosed trips funded by Crow for more than 20 years. "I still can't get over the collection of Nazi memorabilia," an individual who has remained anonymous and who attended an event at Crow's home told the magazine. When the Morning News reporter finally saw the garden of dictator statues, Crow described it as an acknowledgment of the inhumanity that some men have shown to others. The news of Crow's collection comes after a bombshell ProPublica report, which detailed how Thomas has taken luxury vacations funded by the megadonor for more than 20 years without disclosing the excursions.

☆ Justice Clarence Thomas Defends Luxury Travel Paid for by Billionaire GOP Donor
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Jan Wolfe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Justice Thomas said he consulted with other judges years ago and determined that he didn’t need to disclose the gifts on his annual financial disclosure forms. WASHINGTON—Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday defended his decision not to disclose years of lavish vacations and private-jet travel paid for by a billionaire friend, calling the trips personal hospitality that federal judges in the past haven’t been required to report. The statement, issued through the court’s spokeswoman, came in response to an investigative report by ProPublica on Thursday. The ProPublica article documented how Justice Thomas and his wife, conservative activist Ginni Thomas, have gone on several luxury trips involving travel subsidized by and stays at properties owned by Republican Party megadonor Harlan Crow . The report prompted calls from Democratic lawmakers for legislative action to strengthen ethical standards for Supreme Court justices.

☆ U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thomas defends trips financed by 'dearest friends'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a statement, Thomas also said that he has always sought to comply with disclosure guidelines. U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges must make public more details about any free trips, meals or gifts they receive under new regulations adopted at the urging of lawmakers and judicial transparency advocates. In his statement, Thomas said he and his wife, Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, had long counted Harlan and Kathy Crow among their dearest friends. "As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them," Thomas said. In a statement to ProPublica, Crow said he had "never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue."

☆ U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thomas' career marked by controversies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) - Clarence Thomas' career as a U.S. Supreme Court justice began following one of the most contentious confirmation battles in Senate history and 32 years later this conservative champion continues to draw controversy. As one of the most conservative justices in a conservative-heavy Supreme Court, Thomas has been a lightning rod for liberals who have been frustrated by his rulings and his tone. Just last summer, Thomas sparked an uproar on the heels of the Supreme Court overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which established the right to abortion. Amid outrage among Democrats in Congress, Thomas said Supreme Court precedents protecting rights to contraception, same-sex intimacy and gay marriage ought to be reconsidered in future cases. Thomas, only the second Black justice to serve on the highest U.S. court, is known for not shying away from controversy, despite an almost Sphinx-like demeanor during Supreme Court sessions.

☆ Clarence Thomas claims he was told it was not necessary to publicly report the $500,000 trips he took with GOP mega donor Harlan Crow
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Justice Thomas defended himself after a bombshell report raised questions about his financial disclosures. Thomas said that he had followed guidance by not disclosing lavish trips financed by a GOP megadonor who he considers a close friend. Thomas' explanation comes a day after ProPublica's bombshell report that extensively detailed how Crow secretly finance private trips Thomas took for over 20 years. This appears to conflict with an earlier practice by Thomas, who once did report Crow's gifts. Multiple ethics experts told ProPublica that Thomas had clearly violated ethics requirements by not disclosing the more recent trips.

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