Federal judge stops Democrat investigation referral for Justice Clarence Thomas
Some Democrat senators wanted Justice Clarence Thomas referred to a federal investigation. This is based on reports that Thomas accepted gifts from a Republican megadonor. Thomas argued that what he reported, of these events, fell under the guidelines in place prior to the 2023 ethics code. U.S. District Judge Robert Conrad saw no reason to refer this matter for investigation.
From Newsweek:
What People Are Saying
Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court said in a statement: “The Conference’s letters further underscore the need for Congress to create a new and transparent mechanism to investigate the justices for ethics violations since the Conference is unwilling to act upon the one method we had presumed existed to do that.”
Justice Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court Justice at the time of the allegation in 2023 described Crow and his wife, conservative activist Kathy, as “among our dearest friends.” He claimed he was advised by colleagues on the nation’s highest court and others in the federal judiciary that “this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable.”
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said in September last year: “He is receiving $4 million in gifts that he doesn’t disclose. Justice Thomas has failed to disclose the vast majority of these gifts–a clear violation of financial disclosure requirements under Federal Law.”
Republican donor Harlan Crow issued a statement to ProPublica, “The hospitality we have extended to the Thomas’s [sic] over the years is no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends … We have never asked about a pending or lower court case, and Justice Thomas has never discussed one, and we have never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue.”
Additional Reading:
McDonagh, S. (2025, January 03). Justice Clarence Thomas avoids ethics federal probe. Newsweek. Link.
Category: Democrats, Supreme Court
