U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thomas discloses trips on GOP donor’s jet

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Thursday released his 2022 financial disclosure report that included three flights on Texas real estate developer Harlan Crow’s private jet. Thomas said he took some of the flights when his security team advised him to avoid commercial flights after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked. The report also showed that Thomas stayed at Crow’s property in upstate New York last summer. Justice Samuel Alito also released his financial disclosures Thursday after he and Thomas received an extension to file the yearly report that was due in May.

Have other justices faced similar scrutiny? Several justices have come under fire in recent months for failing to disclose luxury trips, real estate deals, and gifts from wealthy donors. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was criticized for promoting her books during speaking engagements. The Senate Judiciary Committee in July passed a Democratic-backed bill to mandate a binding ethics code for the justices. Without Republican support, it is unlikely to be made law. 

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in WORLD Magazine about how Democrats are pushing for a Supreme Court code of ethics.