Top House Democrats Call For DOJ Investigation Over Gifts

Topline

A group of House Democrats led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday asking for the Department of Justice to investigate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for failing to disclose numerous reported gifts he received from billionaire GOP megadonor Harlan Crow—the latest in growing calls for accountability since numerous news reports unveiled the Supreme Court’s cozy relationship with billionaire donors and people that have had business in front of the court.

Key Facts

Key Background

ProPublica’s initial reporting in April set off a months-long avalanche of revelations about the Supreme Court and its justices’ potential conflicts of interest and ethics concerns. That same month, Politico revealed that the Brian Duffy, chief executive of Greenberg Traurig, a large law firm that regularly litigates cases before the high court, purchased a rural Colorado home from Justice Neil Gorsuch, a property which Gorsuch had reportedly been struggling to find a buyer for for two years. Gorsuch disclosed the home sale, which occurred only nine days after his confirmation to the court, but did not disclose that Duffy was the buyer. Additionally, an ex-colleague reported potential conflicts of interest surrounding the wife of Chief Justice John Roberts, Jane Sullivan Roberts, who works as a legal recruiter, the New York Times reported in January. In June, ProPublica reported that Justice Samuel Alito took a luxury fishing trip to Alaska with Paul Singer, a billionaire who runs a hedge fund that repeatedly had business before the court, and did not disclose it. Meanwhile, Justice Sonia Sotomayor has reportedly used employees with taxpayer-funded salaries to push libraries and public institutions to purchase copies of her book, personally enriching herself, according to a July Associated Press report. These revelations have prompted several in the legislative branch to call for accountability, including Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee who invited Roberts to testify at a May 2 hearing. The committee has also approved legislation that is awaiting a vote on the Senate floor that would enact stricter ethics regulations on the court.

Chief Critics

The Supreme Court justices have pushed back at any idea of oversight from other branches of government. In response to Durbin’s request to testify in Congress, Roberts declined, writing in a letter to the committee that it is rare for a chief justice to testify before the Judiciary Committee and that it is important to maintain “judicial independence.” Many of the justices have defended their actions when asked about them. Alito went so far as to write an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal defending his fishing trip and claiming he didn’t know about Singer’s connection to the court cases or see any need to disclose the trip. That op-ed was written after ProPublica reporters approached him about the story and published before the ProPublica story.

Further Reading

Here Are The Recent Controversies Supreme Court Justices Have Been Caught Up In—As Senate Committee Votes On Ethics Bill (Forbes)

Clarence Thomas’ 38 Vacations: The Other Billionaires Who Have Treated the Supreme Court Justice to Luxury Travel (ProPublica)

Law firm head bought Gorsuch-owned property (Politico)

Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court (ProPublica)

Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor’s staff prodded colleges and libraries to buy her books (The Associated Press)