ProPublica: Thomas and his family also quietly benefited from Crow's largesse when the billionaire paid the pricey boarding school tuition for a grandnephew that the justice & his wife Ginni had been raising "as a son."

Our Pulitzer-winning "Friends of the Court" series began with this story by @justinelliott.bsky.social Joshua Kaplan & Alex Mierjeski that revealed how SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas had, for 20+ years, been treated to undisclosed luxury vacations by real estate titan & GOP megadonor Harlan Crow.

Clarence Thomas and the Billionairewww.propublica.org Island-hopping on a superyacht. Private jet rides around the world. The undisclosed gifts to Thomas have no known precedent in the modern history of the Supreme Court. “It’s incomprehensible to me tha...

Then they revealed that Crow had purchased multiple parcels of real estate from Thomas, including the house where the justice's mother still resides. Like the free travel, this deal had not been disclosed by Thomas.

Billionaire Harlan Crow Bought Property From Clarence Thomas. The Justice Didn’t Disclose the Deal.www.propublica.org The transaction is the first known instance of money flowing from Crow to the Supreme Court justice. The sale netted the GOP megadonor two vacant lots and the house where Thomas’ mother was living.

Thomas and his family also quietly benefited from Crow's largesse when the billionaire paid the pricey boarding school tuition for a grandnephew that the justice & his wife Ginni had been raising "as a son."

Clarence Thomas Had a Child in Private School. Harlan Crow Paid the Tuition.www.propublica.org Crow paid for private school for a relative Thomas said he was raising “as a son.” “This is way outside the norm,” said a former White House ethics lawyer.

Lest one think the connection between Crow and Thomas was unique, Brett Murphy & Alex Mierjeski found that a network of industry titans & ultrawealthy executives had treated Thomas to dozens of deluxe trips.

Clarence Thomas’ 38 Vacations: The Other Billionaires Who Have Treated the Supreme Court Justice to Luxury Travelwww.propublica.org The fullest accounting yet shows how Thomas has secretly reaped the benefits from a network of wealthy and well-connected patrons that is far more extensive than previously understood.

Records and interviews also showed that the onset of Thomas' travels came after the justice, facing financial strain, privately pushed for a higher salary and to allow SCOTUS justices to take speaking fees.

A “Delicate Matter”: Clarence Thomas’ Private Complaints About Money Sparked Fears He Would Resignwww.propublica.org Interviews and newly unearthed documents reveal that Thomas, facing financial strain, privately pushed for a higher salary and to allow Supreme Court justices to take speaking fees.

Thomas also attended at least 2 donor summits tied to the Koch network, putting him in the extraordinary position of having helped a political network involved in multiple cases before SCOTUS.

Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Eventswww.propublica.org Thomas has attended at least two Koch donor summits, putting him in the extraordinary position of having helped a political network that has brought multiple cases before the Supreme Court.

Thomas wasn't alone in failing to disclose luxury getaways with ultrawealthy friends. This story revealed that Justice Samuel Alito had not disclosed an Alaskan fishing trip with a hedge fund manager who later had multiple cases heard by SCOTUS:

Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Courtwww.propublica.org In the years after the undisclosed trip to Alaska, Republican megadonor Paul Singer’s hedge fund has repeatedly had business before the Supreme Court. Alito has never recused himself.

The Judicial Conference, led by the SCOTUS chief justice, is tasked with policing federal jurists' ethics issues, but as Kirsten Berg & Brett Murphy showed, it has spent decades preserving perks, defending judges and thwarting outside oversight.

The Judiciary Has Policed Itself for Decades. It Doesn’t Work.www.propublica.org The secretive Judicial Conference is tasked with self-governance. The group, led by the Supreme Court’s chief justice, has spent decades preserving perks, defending judges and thwarting outside oversi...

In a statement, Crow previously told ProPublica he never sought to influence Thomas and the “hospitality” he’s given Thomas was “no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends.”

banana republic

I will never stop being disappointed by the sight of Ken Burns in this photo.

Fwd:[email protected]

Post